Advertising

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1891W, on advertising, how much  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) HM Revenue and Customs spent on advertising in 2008-09; and what advertising campaigns were undertaken by each such organisation in that year.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Spending on advertising in 2008-09 by HM Treasury, its agencies and HMRC is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Organisation  Purpose of advertising  Net spending  (ex vat) £000 
			 HM Treasury Recruitment advertising 445 
			  Promoting the 'Moneymadeclear' service in autumn 2008 and the Money Guidance pathfinder, which offers free impartial generic advice on personal finance 2,250 
			 DMO Gilt auctions, recruitment 158 
			 OGC Government Procurement Graduate recruitment scheme 38 
			 HMRC Child Trust Fund, Compliance, Health in Pregnancy Grant, Money Laundering, Products of Animal Origin, Self Assessment, Students, Tax Credits, Tax for Business 17,890

Climate Change

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the likely effects on his Department's policies of an agreement at the Copenhagen climate change conference.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Coinage: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the purported face value was of counterfeit coins seized in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The following counterfeit £1 coins have been returned to the Royal Mint:
	
		
			   Total withdrawals 
			 2003-04 85,000 
			 2004-05 117,500 
			 2005-06 84,500 
			 2006-07 153,800 
			 2007-08 97,000 
			 2008-09 891,956 
		
	
	The Treasury does not have figures on withdrawals prior to 2003, when the counterfeit rate was estimated to be less than 1 per cent.

Coinage: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask THE Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the purported face value of counterfeit coins in circulation.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The most recent survey conducted by the Royal Mint found that its sample contained a £1 coin counterfeit rate of 2.52 per cent. or
	approximately £37 million.
	The Royal Mint does not currently undertake regular surveys for other denominations. It is widely believed (by the Royal Mint, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and industry partners) that there is not a significant counterfeit issue with any other denominations.
	Some £2 counterfeit coins have been returned to the Mint but the quantities are minimal and they are of a poor quality.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people his Department employs to maintain its social media and social networking accounts; and at what annual cost to the public purse.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The maintenance of these services is carried out as part of the e-communication team's management of the Treasury's websites therefore no specific staff costs are apportioned to these services.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on maintaining its Twitter feed in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The maintenance of these services is carried out as part of the e-communication team's management of the Treasury's websites therefore no specific costs are apportioned to these services.

Equitable Life Assurance Society

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had on the provision of free financial advice to  (a) pensioners and  (b) others who have lost money following investment in Equitable Life; and whether he plans to review the present level of advice provided.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government, jointly with the FSA, are piloting a free money guidance service, called 'Moneymadeclear', in the North West and North East of England. The Government intend for the service to be rolled out nationally from spring 2010. The pilot is being delivered by a number of partner organisations including those used and trusted by older people, such as Age Concern and Citizens Advice. Covering a wide range of personal finance topics, money guidance aims to help people make informed financial decisions. It can also refer people on to more specialist sources of help such as the Pensions Advisory Service or independent financial advice.

Excise Duties: Biofuels

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the UK's biodiesel market of the proposed removal of the 20 pence per litre duty differential on biofuel from April 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment of the proposed removal of the 20 pence per litre duty differential on biofuel from April 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether his Department has conducted an environmental impact assessment of the Government's proposal to remove the 20 pence per litre duty differential on biofuel from April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Chancellor sets environment and transport tax rates in the normal Budget process based on the overall fiscal judgment. In making these decisions, he takes all relevant fiscal, economic, social and environmental factors into account. HM Treasury keeps all taxes under review.
	It is Government policy that proposals imposing or reducing recurrent administrative costs on businesses or the third sector require publication of an impact assessment. A change in tax rate does not impose or reduce administrative costs and therefore an impact assessment is not usually published.
	Table 6.2 of Budget 2008 sets out the environmental impact of Budget measures
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/bud08_chapter6.pdf

Financial Services: Regulation

Paul Keetch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which legislative provision authorises the Financial Services Authority to require qualified independent financial advisors to submit themselves for qualification under fresh criteria.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Under section 41(2) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is required, when giving or varying permission, or imposing or varying any requirement, to ensure that the person concerned will satisfy, and continue to satisfy, the threshold conditions in relation to all of the regulated activities for which he has or will have permission.
	The threshold conditions, defined in section 41(1), include the requirement that the person concerned is "fit and proper" in all the circumstances (schedule 6, paragraph 5). The FSA may raise the standards by which this criteria is tested and apply the new criteria to advisers who are already authorised under FSMA. Indeed, section 41(3) expressly states that the FSA, as the authority and having due regard to its duty under section 41(2), may take:
	"such steps as it considers are necessary, in relation to a particular authorised person, in order to secure its regulatory objective of the protection of consumers."

Financial Services: Standards

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which companies have referred the matter of a fine for failing to treat customers fairly to the Financial Services and Markets Tribunal since the implementation of the treating customers fairly initiative; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many fines levied by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) against companies for failing to treat customers fairly have been  (a) paid in full and  (b) reduced under the FSA's executive settlement procedures since the implementation of the treating customers fairly initiative; which companies paid reduced amounts; and how much each such company paid;
	(3)  how many final notices have been issued by the Financial Services Authority against companies in relation to failures to treat customers fairly since the implementation of the treating customers fairly initiative; on what date each such notice was issued; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  against which companies fines have been levied by the Financial Services Authority for failing to treat customers fairly since the implementation of the treating customers fairly initiative; what fine was levied in each case; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many customer redress programmes mandated as a consequence of a Financial Services Authority (FSA) assessment that a company has failed to treat customers fairly are underway; which companies are undertaking such programmes; what proportion of customers assessed by the FSA as eligible for redress under each programme have  (a) made applications for and  (b) received redress; how much was (i) claimed and (ii) awarded in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The matters raised in these questions are the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority, whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford's letter of 10 August 2009 concerning his constituent, Mrs Alan Tritton of Great Leighs, Chelmsford.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Receipt of the original correspondence of 10 August 2009 could not be traced. Following discussions with the hon. Member's office on 29 October 2009, a copy was provided. A reply will be sent as soon as possible.

Floods: West Midlands

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's priorities are for the programme of flood defences in the West Midlands.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The implementation of the Environment Agency's River Tame Flood Risk Management Strategy will reduce flood risk to 2,850 residential and commercial properties. Capital works in other locations including Upton upon Severn at Worcester, Prestbury at Cheshire, Horsbere Brook at Gloucester, Badsey Brook at Worcester and Bedworth near Coventry are also a priority.
	To ensure maintenance funding is directed to where it is needed most, a target has been introduced for high flood-risk areas. 96 per cent. of flood defence assets (including those owned by third parties) must be in a serviceable condition by the end of March 2010 in high risk areas. The Environment Agency's maintenance budget is driven by the need to achieve this target.

River Trent: Pollution

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of  (a) cleaning up the recent discharge of cyanide and raw sewage into the River Trent and  (b) restoring habitats affected by the discharge.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency is still assessing the environmental impact of the recent discharge into the River Trent and identifying any further clean-up or restoration work required. The cost of this work is not yet known but will be calculated in due course. If a successful prosecution results from the Environment Agency's investigation into the cause of the discharge, it will be seeking to recover some if not all of its costs from those responsible in order to minimise the cost to the public purse.

Air Transport Users' Council: Finance

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department is providing to the Air Transport Users' Council in 2009-10.

Paul Clark: The Air Transport Users' Council is not funded by the Government. It receives its funding from the Civil Aviation Authority via a specific charge which the authority makes on airlines. Its budget for 2009-10 is £750,000.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what arrangements he has put in place to enable airlines to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions; and what arrangements he has put in place to  (a) monitor and  (b) report on those airlines' performance in reducing emissions.

Paul Clark: The inclusion of aviation in the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) enables the aviation sector to take responsibility for its carbon dioxide emissions in the most cost-effective way. All flights departing from and arriving at EU airports will be included in the EU ETS from 2012. The EU ETS caps total emissions to a fixed limit, with operators required to surrender allowances for each reporting year to cover their total emissions. Any increase in emissions above these levels must be matched by emissions reductions elsewhere within the aviation sector or in another sector within the wider ETS. Aircraft operators will be encouraged to reduce their CO2 emissions through investment in greener aircraft technology and by developing the use of alternative fuels. In the UK, the Environment Agency will regulate the aviation EU ETS in England and Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency regulating operators in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. Aircraft operators covered by the EU ETS must monitor their CO2 emissions from 1 January 2010 and each year have this information independently verified, then report data to their regulator.
	In January of this year, the Government announced a target to bring UK aviation CO2 emissions in 2050 to below 2005 levels and has asked the Committee on Climate Change to advise on this. The committee is due to report by December 2009. Once the Government have received the committee's advice, they will determine the best basis for taking the target forward.
	The European Commission is considering the utility of different options for EU-wide measures that address aviation emissions of NOx (oxides of nitrogen). Certification standards for NOx emissions are set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The UK takes a leading role in this forum and expects a tightening of these standards to be agreed next year. ICAO has published guidance on emission charges related to local air quality. The 2006 Civil Aviation Act permitted such charges to be levied and the operators of Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton now impose a charge related to the certification performance of landing aircraft to incentivise the use of cleaner aircraft.

Bus Services: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the percentage change in levels of bus usage in  (a) England,  (b) Hertfordshire and  (c) the St Albans parliamentary constituency was in each year since 1996.

Sadiq Khan: Between 1996-97 and 2008-09 the number of local bus passenger journeys in England increased by 20 per cent. Over the same time period the number of local bus passenger journeys in Hertfordshire increased by 15 per cent. (these should be treated with caution as data quality varies between local authorities). Figures for the St. Albans parliamentary constituency are not compiled. Year by year figures are available in the table.
	The aggregation and estimation techniques used in compiling these statistics are currently under review. Figures until 2006-07 are based on an old calculation method, whereas those for 2007-08 and 2008-09 use a newer method. This is still being tested and therefore the data are provisional. Upon completion of this review data for earlier years may be revised.
	
		
			  Total passenger journeys in England and Hertfordshire, 1996-97 to 2008-09 
			   (a) England  (b) Hertfordshire 
			   Journeys (million)  Year on year change (percentage)  Journeys (million)  Year on year change (percentage) 
			 1996-97 3,844 — 27 — 
			 1997-98 3,859 0.4 35 28 
			 1998-99 3,808 -1.3 31 -12 
			 1999-2000 3,804 -0.1 35 15 
			 2000-01 3,842 1.0 35 -1 
			 2001-02 3,881 1.0 34 -1 
			 2002-03 3,964 2.1 31 -10 
			 2003-04 4,087 3.1 31 -1 
			 2004-05 4,140 1.3 30 -4 
			 2005-06 4,196 1.3 27 -9 
			 2006-07 4,470 6.5 29 8 
			 2007-08(1) 4,530 1.3 27 -9 
			  
			 2007-08(1,)( )(2) 4,522 — 26 — 
			 2008-09(2) 4,594 1.6 31 18 
			 (1) 2007-08 figures for both the old and new method of calculating passenger journeys are shown, in order to show how the growth rate between 1996-97 and 2008-09 is calculated. (2) Provisional.  Note: Blank row indicates break in series.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Chris Mole: Overnight accommodation expenditure, exceeding £500, for Department for Transport Ministers  (a) are available on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx
	Expenditure on overnight accommodation by Department for Transport Officials  (b) can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation: Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has contributed to the Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation in each of the last 12 years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport's records show that payments to the Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation Ltd started in 2000 when the company was incorporated. It became ITSO Ltd. in 2004. Up to the end of the last financial year, the total payments to the organisation were as follows:
	
		
			   Total spend (£) exc. VAT 
			 2000-01 25,000 
			 2001-02 20,000 
			 2002-03 1,104,647 
			 2003-04 2,732,884 
			 2004-05 345,756 
			 2005-06 529,947 
			 2006-07 228,158 
			 2007-08 769,884 
			 2008-09 130,650 
		
	
	The payments cover contracts for developing the ITSO specification and environment, providing technical advice, support for developing schemes, attendance at international standards meetings and annual membership fees.
	In 1999, the Department awarded a contract to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive that contributed £104,000 to a project carried out by the Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation (prior to its incorporation as a limited company) to develop common specifications for contactless smartcard applications.

Film

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Prime Minister and  (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for a national film centre.

Si�n Simon: I have regular discussions about matters of departmental interest with Cabinet colleagues.
	As the Prime Minister announced on 16 October 2009, the Government have committed 45 million to the British Film Institute (BFI) National Film Centre to be built on London's south bank.

Playing Fields

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many playing fields have been  (a) created and  (b) lost in each local authority in each year since 1997; in how many cases Sport England was consulted; and what the outcome of that consultation was in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England's role as a statutory consultant on playing fields only extends to those planning applications for developments affecting existing playing fields. They are not therefore consulted on all planning applications for new playing fields and this data are not held centrally.
	Sport England's statistics for the total number of playing field consultations and outcomes since 2001 can be found on their website at:
	http://www.sportengland.org

Attendance Allowance: Appeals

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she is taking to reduce the length of time it takes to process an appeal against an attendance allowance decision for those cases affected by the European Court of Justice decision in Commission of the European Communities  v. the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, C-299/05, of 18 October 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: In order to improve and reduce the length of time for processing all cases for these customers, we have identified and submitted a small number of lead cases for tribunal hearings. We have approached the Tribunal Chair requesting staying of appeal on other linked cases until the lead cases are finally determined by either the First-tier Tribunal or on further appeal to the Upper Tribunal or a further appellate court, where applicable.
	Around 500 customers have currently submitted appeals relating to the past presence test and/or our approach to requests for reinstatement of benefit.

Pensioners: Winter Fuel Payments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average percentage of pensioners' energy bills likely to be met by the winter fuel payment in  (a) the UK,  (b) Scotland and  (c) the Highlands in 2009-10.

Angela Eagle: It is estimated that the average percentage of pensioners' energy bills likely to be met by the winter fuel payment in 2009-10 in  (a) the UK and Scotland, are as follows:
	
		
			   UK  Scotland 
			   Age 60 to 79  Age 80 and over  Age 60 to 79  Age 80 and over 
			 Winter Fuel Payment amounts () 250 400 250 400 
			 Percentage of annual energy bill met by the Winter Fuel Payment 24 41 23 38 
			  (c) The information requested is not available. Additional support is available through Cold Weather Payments for regions that suffer particularly cold weather.  Notes: 1. The Family Spending Survey 2008 is used to determine household expenditure on fuel by age. 2. The difference in energy bills in Scotland and the UK, is calculated by looking at the percentage difference an average household spent on energy bills in 2007. 3. The fuel and light inflation rate, published by the ONS, is used to estimate the energy bills as at September 2009. 4. The Winter Fuel Payment figures include the additional payments for 2009-10.

Unemployed: Young People

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people between the ages of 18 and 24 years were unemployed in  (a) the UK,  (b) Scotland and  (c) the Highlands in each of the last 24 months.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many young people aged between the ages of 18 and 24 years were unemployed in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) the Highlands in each of the last 24 months. (297390)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1 shows the number of persons aged between 18 and 24 years resident in the UK and Scotland who were unemployed for the 12 month periods ending June 2007 to the latest available period ending March 2009.
	Estimates of unemployment for the requested age band are not available for the Highland local authority due to small sample sizes. As an alternative, in Table 2, we have provided the number of persons, aged between 18 and 24, claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) in the Highland local authority along with UK and Scotland, from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. For comparison purposes, the data have been provided from January 2007 to the latest available period of September 2009.
	The unemployment estimate given for the UK has been compiled from the APS to be consistent with the estimate for Scotland, and will therefore differ from the headline unemployment estimates published in the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.
	The estimates in Table 1 are for a subset of the population and are therefore subject to margins of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in Table 1.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of unemployed persons aged between 18 and 24 years resident in the UK and Scotland 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  United Kingdom  Scotland 
			 June 2007 496 40 
			 September 2007 488 40 
			 December 2007 485 36 
			 March 2008 487 37 
			 June 2008 498 37 
			 September 2008 515 39 
			 December 2008 557 43 
			 March 2009(1) (*)590 **44 
			  Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CVfor example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 ≤ CV5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes.  Source:  Annual Population Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of persons( 1)  aged be t ween 18 and 24 years  resident in Highland, Scotland and the UK claiming Jobseeker's Allowance 
			   Highland  Scotland  United Kingdom 
			 January 2007 740 24,705 284,185 
			 February 2007 780 25,715 294,445 
			 March 2007 715 25,175 289,365 
			 April 2007 620 23,525 273,300 
			 May 2007 580 22,605 262,950 
			 June 2007 545 21,935 251,630 
			 July 2007 600 23,135 258,355 
			 August 2007 570 23,400 264,020 
			 September 2007 450 20,860 257,165 
			 October 2007 465 19,380 242,990 
			 November 2007 485 18,920 233,900 
			 December 2007 525 19,245 235,210 
			 January 2008 555 20,840 246,560 
			 February 2008 635 22,455 260,585 
			 March 2008 605 22,250 259,610 
			 April 2008 510 21,520 253,030 
			 May 2008 485 20,975 249,455 
			 June 2008 505 21,640 249,605 
			 July 2008 580 23,995 269,195 
			 August 2008 570 25,765 292,715 
			 September 2008 565 24,235 300,895 
			 October 2008 625 24,475 302,300 
			 November 2008 735 26,240 322,920 
			 December 2008 795 28,140 348,015 
			 January 2009 925 31,240 379,535 
			 February 2009 1,115 36,335 443,200 
			 March 2009 1,130 37,735 460,420 
			 April 2009 1,000 37,130 460,590 
			 May 2009 955 36,660 453,505 
			 June 2009 945 37,650 448,735 
			 July 2009 1,000 40,525 468,990 
			 August 2009 975 41,765 489,630 
			 September 2009 900 37,860 487,880 
			  Notes: 1. Data rounded to nearest 5. 2. Age data are only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7 per cent. of all claims.  Source:  Jobcentre Plus Administrative System.

Unemployment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency had no one in employment in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated November 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the number of households in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency which had no-one in employment in each year since 1997. (297145).
	The available information is provided in the attached tables. Estimates for England and the North East are provided from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) household datasets, for the years 1997 to 2009, covering the three months to June in each year, the period at which specially designed household datasets are available.
	This information is taken from the annual Statistical Bulletin titled, Work and worklessness among households which can be found here:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8552
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8552
	Estimates for areas within the North East are not available from the LFS household datasets.
	Estimates for Tees Valley  Durham and Middlesbrough South  East Cleveland have been provided from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which combines four quarters of the LFS and sample boosts, to produce an annual estimate. Estimates on this basis are available from 2004, the first year the household datasets are available, to 2008, for the calendar year January to December.
	Figures for households are based on working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.
	
		
			  Number of Workless working-age( 1)  households in England and North East Region n ot seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			  April to June each year  England  North East 
			 1997 2,503 180 
			 1998 2,482 192 
			 1999 2,396 192 
			 2000 2,315 176 
			 2001 2,338 182 
			 2002 2,368 177 
			 2003 2,330 173 
			 2004 2,292 179 
			 2005 2,370 173 
			 2006 2,296 148 
			 2007 2,482 153 
			 2008 2,388 168 
			 2009 2,508 186 
			 (1) A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.  Notes: 1. Figures have not been adjusted to include estimates for households with unknown economic activity 2. Excludes households with unknown economic activity status.  Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey

Kenya: Foreign Relations

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest assessment is of the state of relations between the UK and the government of Kenya; and what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the state of relations between Kenya and the EU.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have good relations with the Government of Kenya. Our two countries are bound together by strong historic links, reinforced by a Kenyan diaspora of an estimated 130,000 in the UK. We support the Kenyan government's political reform process and stress the importance of credible action to strengthen governance. We are one of the largest bilateral aid donors to Kenya and also have strong trade, investment, tourism and military relationships. We share common interests in tackling regional and international security issues. Kenya's progress on political and socio-economic reform has an impact on the vitality of these relationships. That is why we are encouraging and supporting the National Accord which sets out a framework of action to address issues that threaten Kenya's stability and prosperity. These include constitutional, electoral, police and judicial reform, while tackling the entrenched culture of impunity related to corruption and violence.
	We work closely with EU partners to coordinate support and engagement with the Kenyan Government and others active in the reform process. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary attended the EU General Affairs Council Meeting in Brussels in late July 2009 where Council Conclusions on Kenya were agreed. The conclusions highlighted the need for faster implementation of reforms vital to the interests of the Kenyan people, while acknowledging the importance of Kenya's partnership with the EU in addressing issues of regional significance, such as piracy. With our EU partners and other like-minded countries we are continuing to support Kenya's political reform process.

Forensic Science Service: Chepstow

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings he has had to discuss the future of the Forensic Science Service Laboratory in Chepstow in the last eight months.

Peter Hain: I have discussed this issue with both the Home Secretary and with the hon. Member for Newport East. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State also visited the Chepstow laboratory in September to discuss the transformation with staff there.
	I can assure the hon. Member that the Government will work closely through Job Centre Plus and others with those affected by the Forensic Science Service Transformation program to give them all the support they need at this unsettling time.

Olympic Games 2012: Pay

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what bonuses have been paid to  (a) consultants and  (b) contractors working on the Olympic Park construction project.

Tessa Jowell: The information is as follows:
	 (a) In order for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to achieve or exceed specific time and cost-based targets, incentive payments are made to its delivery partner CLM for the achievement of key performance indicators for the delivery of programme milestones and cost targets. The amounts payable to CLM in respect of performance are disclosed at Note 19 to the ODA's Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09, a copy of which is available in the House Library:
	
		
			million 
			 2007-08 16.133 
			 2008-09 60.180 
		
	
	The ODA, working with CLM, achieved significant savings of 390 million. CLM's contract is heavily incentivised and payment to them is dependent on meeting strict performance measures tied to delivering on time, to budget and to a high standard.
	 (b) The ODA incentivises contractors on the Olympic Park to deliver on time and on budget. Incentive payments have therefore been included as part of the contracting process. Payments to date are as follows and are included in the figures published quarterly to Parliament. The project remains on track and on budget.
	
		
			  Company  Project  Payable for  Amount  ( million) 
			 Sir Robert McAlpine Stadium Piling and roof trusses 1.048 
			 Balfour Beatty Aquatics Centre Completion of design procurement and erection of steel trusses 1.000 
			 ISG Velopark Completion of piling 0.593 
			 Carillion IBC/MPC Completion of foundations 0.165 
			 Morrison Enabling Works Delivery of works to timetable 9.144 
			 Nuttall Enabling works Delivery of works to timetable 10.120 
			 Atkins Enabling Works Percentage of the incentive payment to Morrison and Nuttall 2.189

Community Relations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to counter extremism in areas predominantly populated by white, working class people; how such neighbourhoods will be identified; and what funding his Department plans to allocate to such activities.

Shahid Malik: The Government have announced 12 million this financial year to help neighbourhoods feeling the pressure from recession most acutely and address the legitimate fears which, if neglected, can prove fertile territory for extremism and those who would divide our communities. Neighbourhoods have been identified by examining a range of hard and soft data around cohesion, deprivation and crime, perceived unfairness in the allocation of resources and feedback from people working locally. Although there are modest additional resources available for support specific to the individual area, the focus will be on working through mainstream government programmes operating in the target areas. The aim is for local authorities to ensure people are aware of opportunities and services and have the opportunity to influence what happens in their local area. This is one element of wider work to understand and tackle perceptions of unfairness and disaffection, reduce tensions which threaten community cohesion, and build resilience in communities to resist negative messages from extremists and far right groups.

Departmental Consultants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by his Department on consultancy services relating to the establishment of  (a) the Homes and Communities Agency and  (b) the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme; and which organisations provided services for each project.

John Healey: The Department spent 322,613 (excluding VAT) on consultancy services to support establishment of the Homes and Communities Agency. The consultants used were Stanton Marris LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bridget Skelton Ltd., Turner and Townsend and Blake Lapthorn.
	PricewaterhouseCoopers provided commercial expertise to support development of our interventions to prevent repossessions, in particular to inform negotiations with lenders on their forbearance policies and liaison with the money advice sector, and advise on the interface with the regulatory framework. The total cost was 1,143,883 (excluding VAT). Statistics from the Financial Services Authority show that by June 2009, over 135,000 borrowers were benefiting from forbearance offered by their lender, an increase of 74 per cent. on the previous year.

Departmental Energy

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has a strategy to encourage voltage optimisation on the estate of local authorities.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government have no strategy for local authorities to encourage voltage optimisation in the estate of local authorities.

Departmental Recruitment

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's advertisement for a job vacancy published in August 2009, for a policy adviser to the Secretary of State on Faith and Community, and pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 655W, on Tony Clements, how many staff in his Department who are not special advisers have the job title  (a) policy and  (b) departmental adviser.

Barbara Follett: All civil servants in the Department provide policy advice to Ministers as necessary and regardless of job title.
	According to the Department's Staff Directory, 87 staff currently have policy adviser within their job title and no staff have departmental adviser within their job title.

Departmental Recruitment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on recruiting each member of the  (a) Homes and Communities Agency Board and  (b) National Housing and Planning Advice Unit Board.

John Healey: The information is as follows:
	 Homes and Communities Agency
	The board appointments recruitment processes for the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the Tenants Service Authority (TSA) were to some extent run in combination and it is not possible to break these costs down further between the two organisations or the individual members. The total amounts spent were:
	The Department hired a Human Resources expert on a consultancy basis to advise on and oversee the entire recruitment process for both the HCA and TSA chairs, board members and the TSA chief executive. The cost of this expert was 89,000. It is not possible to break down this cost further between the agencies or across the various individual appointments he was involved in.
	For the recruitment of the HCA chair, the cost of hiring a recruitment agency, including advertising costs, was 58,000. The cost of engaging an independent assessor was 876.
	Recruitment of board members for the HCA and the TSA was run as a joint exercise. The cost of the recruitment agency including advertising and expenses was 79,000. The cost cannot be broken down between HCA and TSA or between individual board members. The cost of engaging an independent assessor was 3,499 and again cannot be split between the HCA and TSA or between individual appointments.
	 National Housing and Planning Unit
	The total amount spent on recruitment of the Board of the National Housing and Planning Unit was 94,535, of which 91,300 was incurred on recruitment agency fees, and 3,235 on engaging an Independent Appointments Assessor. It is not possible to breakdown these costs further to identify amounts which specifically related to the recruitment of individuals, as the process was conducted as a total recruitment package for a Board of five Members and one Chairperson.

Fire Services: Finance

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much is planned to be spent on the fire and rescue service in the next three years.

Shahid Malik: Spending on fire is a devolved matter. The amount spent on fire and rescue authorities in England is a decision taken by individual authorities. The Government do not hold this information centrally.
	In most cases, fire and rescue services are delivered by single-purpose authorities (combined and metropolitan county fire and rescue authorities). Formula Grant of 796.9 million was allocated to be spent on fire and rescue by these authorities in the provisional local government finance settlement for 2010-11, which the Government published at the same time as the 2009-10 settlement. The final 2010-11 settlement will be published according to the usual timetable.
	In addition, 119 million of specific grants are anticipated to be made to fire and rescue authorities in 2010-11.
	Decisions about Government funding from 2011-12 will be taken as part of the next spending review.

Fire Services: Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding was provided to the Fire and Rescue Service per resident in  (a) England,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) Shropshire in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007;
	(2)  how much funding  (a) in total and  (b) per resident was given to the Fire and Rescue Service in (i) England, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) Shropshire in 2008;
	(3)  how much funding was given to the Fire and Rescue Service in  (a) England,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) Shropshire in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007.

Shahid Malik: It is not possible to provide figures for Government funding for the Fire and Rescue Service in England as a whole, as it is provided principally through Formula Grant, an unhypothecated block grant. In some areas, fire and rescue is the responsibility of the county council, which receives Formula Grant in respect of its services as a whole. However, figures are available for the West Midlands and Shropshire, which are both single-purpose fire and rescue authorities.
	The Formula Grant distribution system takes into account the relative needs of each local authority and the relative potential income that can be provided through council tax for each local authority, relative to all other authorities providing the same services. There is also a central allocation and the floor damping mechanism.
	The following includes funding from Formula Grant and specific grants:
	
		
			  Funding per head of population 
			   
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 West Midlands 32.94 34.73 38.30 
			 Shropshire 16.13 16.72 21.11 
		
	
	
		
			  Total funding 
			   million 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 West Midlands 85.2 89.9 99.6 
			 Shropshire 7.3 7.6 9.5

Homes and Communities Agency: Consultants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what projects the Homes and Communities Agency Academy has employed external consultants.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Academy has employed external consultants for the following projects:
	New products and programmes
	Brownfield Skills
	Accelerating roll out of current programmes
	National and Regional Delivery Structure
	Skills Action Plan
	Leadership of Place
	Leaders' Network
	Endorsement Framework
	Benchmark and Tool Kit
	Practical knowledge to support delivery
	High Profile Events
	Programme Staff Costs.

Tenants Rights

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department is undertaking into the security of tenure of residents of privately-rented accommodation; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend security of tenure provisions in relation to such residents.

Ian Austin: The English Housing Survey (which is a unified successor to the English Housing Condition Survey and the Survey of English Housing) contains questions directed at private tenants about their length of tenure and reasons for ending a tenancy. Further questions will be directed to landlords as part of the related Landlords Survey. Drawing on this research Julie Rugg's independent review of the private rented sector found that, in spite of the standard assured shorthold tenancy only having a minimum fixed period of six months, the majority of tenancies last considerably longer. The review found that 55 per cent. of tenants had been at their current address for over one year and over 21 per cent. for over five years and that only 6 per cent. of tenancies are ended early by landlords mostly because of non-payment of rent. So this research and the status of the sector as a flexible form of tenure for both tenants and landlords, would suggest there does not appear to be the need to change the legislation governing the security of tenure in the private rented sector.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many helplines his Department operates; how much it has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years; if he will consider the merits of securing the accreditation of such helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not operate any helplines.

Rwanda: Overseas Aid

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria are used to determine the level of direct humanitarian aid distributed to individual states; and to what extent Rwanda meets those criteria.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development's (DFID) support for humanitarian action is based on an assessment of need, without regard to political or other considerations and is targeted where the threat to life is most severe, where the extent and depth of suffering is greatest and the response capacities of host communities and authorities are most limited.
	In recent years Rwanda has not met these criteria to an extent that would necessitate humanitarian aid. DFID supports Rwanda through a 50 million (2009-10) aid programme which is focused on improving education, health, governance and economic growth.

Gas Storage

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of levels of gas storage in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: National Grid's published figures show that, this week, our storage capacity was around 99 per cent. full.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in reducing the UK's carbon dioxide emissions over the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The UK's carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by 2.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2), or 0.4 per cent., between 2002 and 2007, the latest year for which we have final figures. On the basis of the provisional figure for 2008, UK CO2 emissions were reduced by 24.4 MtCO2, or 4.4 per cent., between 2003 and 2008.

Electricity Generation

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the contribution of onshore wind to the UK's electricity generation capacity; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly receives representations from stakeholders and members of the public regarding the contribution of onshore wind to the UK's electricity generation capacity.
	In 2008, the installed capacity of onshore wind in the UK was 2,820 MWe, the most of any renewable energy technology and enough to power 1.4 million homes. This represents more than a doubling since 2005.

Nuclear Power

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the Government's policy on future use of nuclear power; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: Ministers and officials regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders including industry, environmental groups and the unions. Nuclear has an important role to play in the energy mix and the Government are committed to working with industry to enable new nuclear power stations to be built. The Office for Nuclear Development (OND) aims to enable investment in the UK from the earliest possible date and with no cap on the amount of new build. It aims to build and maintain the UK as the best market in the world for companies to invest in nuclear.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings.

Joan Ruddock: DECC has a target to find 20 million of savings in 2010-11 as part of the 5 billion Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP). 17.5 million of this will be found from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's non-programme budgets and 2.5 million from core-DECC budgets. These targets will be met through a combination of innovation and strict control of expenditure. DECC has also contributed to the OEP work on the benchmarking of back office costs.
	My noble Friend the Minister of State has been appointed as DECC's Value for Money (VfM) Minister and as such participated in a Treasury-led seminar in the summer. DECC officials are members of the cross-government VfM Group. Additionally, a wide range of learning and development opportunities are available for officials, many of which are focused on driving VfM.

Energy Supply

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the likely level of consumption of  (a) gas,  (b) oil and  (c) coal by the UK energy supply industry in each year from 2009 to 2020.

David Kidney: The following tables show the central scenario produced by modelling carried out for the July 2009 Low Carbon Transition Plan. It should be stressed that this is one of many possible scenarios based upon a number of assumptions. There are necessarily significant uncertainties around this scenario, and a range of sensitivities could be considered. Ultimately the level of fuel demand will be determined by the market.
	
		
			  Projected fossil fuel uses in electricity generation 
			  Million tonnes of oil equivalent 
			   2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020 
			 Coal 29.4 26.9 26.9 25.6 25.6 22.7 24.6 23.1 21.0 22.7 20.3 19.1 
			 Oil 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 
			 Gas 29.3 27.5 28.4 29.1 28.2 28.9 25.8 24.5 25.6 21.5 21.3 18.3 
		
	
	
		
			  P rojected t otal  f ossil  f uel  u se 
			  Million tonnes of oil equivalent 
			   2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020 
			 Solids 35.7 33.1 33.0 31.7 31.8 28.8 30.6 29.0 26.9 28.5 26.1 24.7 
			 Oil 80.1 80.6 81.1 81.5 81.5 81.1 80.7 80.3 79.9 79.5 79.0 78.6 
			 Gas 89.1 85.7 85.3 85.0 83.3 83.1 79.0 76.9 76.9 71.9 70.6 66.1 
		
	
	The category solids consists of mainly coal, but includes a small amount of solid manufactured fuel.
	Modelling results from the DECC Energy Model may differ slightly from the results of other DECC analysis. See for example, the analysis for the Renewable Energy Strategy which shows an illustrative mix of renewable technologies for meeting the 2020 RES target:
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/renewable/res/res.aspx
	The DECC energy projections published alongside the Low Carbon Transition Plan can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/projections/projections.aspx

Fossil Fuels

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of levies to be placed on fossil fuels in order to fund the proposed renewable heat incentive; and, what assessment has been made of the distributional effect on household incomes of such levies.

David Kidney: As part of the Renewable Energy Strategy, published in July this year, we provided an estimate of the potential impact of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) levy on consumers.
	The RHI subsidy costs are expected to be passed on to consumers of fossil fuels used for heat through price increases on them.
	Initial work to estimate the impact of the policy, assuming all costs fall on gas prices, is summarised as follows. These numbers are based on the costs figures presented in the impact assessment which accompanied the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES). The impact assessment set out ranges which reflect different possibilities for providing support for technologies and sectors under the RHI.. The upper end of these ranges is used as the central estimate in the overall RES impact assessment.
	Based on these assumptions, under our lead scenario in the RES (that in 2020 12 per cent. of heat comes from renewable sources), bill increases in the domestic sector in 2020 are expected to be in the order of 16 to 23 per cent. corresponding to an average domestic bill increase of around 120 to 172.
	However, the eventual cost of the RHI and its actual impact on bills will depend on a series of policy decisions which are still to be taken and external variable factors. For example, whether the support will be paid over a short or long period, how we differentiate support across the different technologies, changes in fossil fuel prices, and likely rates of return. The forthcoming consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive, will be the next step in this process, and be accompanied by a further Regulatory Impact Assessment.

Green Hydrogen

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) evaluated on the use of green hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas.

David Kidney: Hydrogen, unlike natural gas, is not a primary energy source. Like electricity, it is an energy carrier, which requires the use of a primary energy source for its production. Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced using low or zero carbon sources. The Department of Trade and Industry commissioned a study which reported in December 2004A strategic framework for hydrogen energy in the UK. This examined the circumstances under which it would make sense for the UK to deploy hydrogen, including green hydrogen. It concluded that the main potential application would be as a transport fuel for use in fuel cell powered vehicles. While hydrogen might have some niche applications as a heating fuelfor example, in remote islands with no available alternative fuel and with substantial renewable energy resourcesthe study concluded that, in general, the energy loss associated with the production of hydrogen would not be justified where the direct conversion of primary sources to heat was feasible. The Government broadly accept that conclusion.

Natural Gas: Storage

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of levels of gas storage in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: National Grid's published figures show that, this week, our storage capacity was around 99 per cent. full.

Burglary: Crime Prevention

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent from the public purse on measures to reduce numbers of burglaries in each of the last 10 years; and what plans he has for such spending in each of the next three years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 2 November 2009
	Burglary reduction is core police business, and as such it is not possible to disaggregate what proportion of the significant investment in the police service over the past decade has been spent on this. The police and partners have experienced significant success over the past decade in bringing overall crime, including burglary, down. According to the British Crime Survey, domestic burglary has fallen by 54 per cent. since 1997.
	We have provided additional support to the frontline through specific crime reduction initiatives, such as 250 million in the Crime Reduction Programme between 1999 and 2002, of which 25 million was through the Reducing Burglary Initiative. Most recently we have launched Operation Vigilance and the Safer Homes Action Against Burglary programme, which are part of a 20 million package targeting acquisitive crime such as burglary.
	In addition, we are taking actions to manage offenders, including the Prolific and Priority Offender scheme, the Drug Intervention Programme and the adoption nationally of the Integrated Offender Management approach by next spring, are helping to bring down a range of crimes, including burglary.
	Spending plans for the next three years are not yet finalised.

Closed Circuit Television

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has allocated  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly via grants to (i) local authorities and (ii) other organisations for the provision of closed circuit television cameras in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the likely level of such funding in (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11.

Alan Campbell: Between 1999 and 2003, 170 million of capital funding was made available to local authorities under the Home Office Crime Reduction programme. This resulted in 680 schemes being installed in town centres and other public places. Central funding has been spent on CCTV since 2003 through various programmes such as Communities Against Drugs, the Safer Communities Initiative and the Building Safer Communities Initiative. Central data are not held on how much has been spent or will be spent in future years on CCTV-related activity through Area Based Grant. ABG funding is non-ringfenced and local authorities can spend it as they see fit to support the delivery of local, regional and national priorities in their area.

Crimes of Violence: Care Homes

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents where residents of  (a) children's care homes and  (b) older people's care homes were victims of violent crime have been reported in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: This information is not collected centrally.

Drugs: Arrests

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug-related arrests there have been in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories including drug offences.
	Information on arrests for drug offences covering the years 2002-03 (previous years data not available) to 2007-08 (latest available) is provided in the following table. It is not possible to separately identify the number of 'drug related' arrests for other offence groups (such as violence against the person or sexual offences) from the information on arrests reported to the Home Office.
	Arrests in Teesside and Middlesbrough south cannot be separately identified as the data reported to the Home Office are broken down by police force area level only.
	Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive and information for Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
	
		
			  Persons arrested for drug offences in selected areas, 2002-03 to 2007-08 
			  Area  2002-03( 2)  2003-04  2004-05( 3)  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 England 109,359 102,492 76,050 82,809 81,327 98,271 
			 North East Region(1) 7,932 8,243 5,381 7,087 6,451 5,781 
			 Cleveland police force area 1,970 1,818  1,470 1,130 1,211 
			 (1) The North East Region includes three police force areas; Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria. (2) Data for 2002-03 excludes Durham as they were unable to supply arrests data for that year. (3) Data for 2004-05 excludes Cleveland as they were unable to supply arrests data broken down by offence group for that year.

Entry Clearances: Religious Persons

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what vetting procedures his Department applies in respect of imams from abroad who are seeking employment in the UK.

Alan Johnson: Imams, like all Ministers of religion from other faiths, from outside the EEA who wish to preach in the UK must apply under our new Points-Based System. They can only do so if they have a job offer from an organisation that has been licensed by the UK Border Agency to act as a sponsor.
	The Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) category requires migrants to have a high standard of English language skills. This ensures that they are able to speak to and for the religious communities that they will represent, and in particular that they are able to communicate effectively with the younger generation. The level of English required is equivalent to level B2 on the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference.
	In addition, imams, as with all migrants applying for leave to enter or remain in the UK, are subject to checks against their immigration history, criminal records, and any other factors that may mean their exclusion from the UK would be conducive to the public good.

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Forensic Science Service spent on  (a) travel and  (b) expenses for its Chief Executive in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 27 October 2009
	 The information is as follows:
	
		
			   
			  Year ended  31 March  Travel  Other 
			 2005 6,744 4,014 
			 2006 16,886 3,291 
			 2007 6,961 3,180 
			 2008 6,796 4,376 
			 2009 11,583 5,841 
		
	
	Since August 2007, the role of CEO has been the responsibility of the executive chairman. From this date to October 2009, the figures outlined above relate to the duties carried out to support the CEO role.

Immigration: Unpaid Fines

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) public bodies and  (b) other organisations to which the UK Border Agency has issued notices of liability had not paid the associated fines on the latest date for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 has, since it came into force on 29 February 2008, allowed the UK Border Agency to issue civil penalties of up to 10,000 per worker to employers who are found to be liable for employing illegal migrant workers.
	Internal management information shows that for the period 29 February 2008 to 19 October 2009, no civil penalties have been issued to public bodies. 3,164 penalties have been issued to employers and 1,301 have yet to be paid.
	These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected running costs are of  (a) the Independent Safeguarding Authority and  (b) the Vetting and Barring Scheme in each of the next five years.

Alan Johnson: The Vetting and Barring Scheme was established to vet all individuals who want to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. The scheme is delivered by the partnership of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The Home Office leads implementation of the Scheme.
	The expected running costs of  (a) the ISA and  (b) the total costs of the VBS in the years 2010-15, based on the most recent reports to the VBS, are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   million 
			   ISA budget allocation  VBS budget allocation (inclusive of ISA budget) 
			 2010-11 13.1 42.8 
			 2011-12 13.3 40.7 
			 2012-13 13.6 43.9 
			 2013-14 13.8 45.3 
			 2014-15 14.3 47.1

Passports: Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether there is an annual limit on the number of UK passports which can be issued by Gibraltar's government;
	(2)  how many UK passports have been issued by the Gibraltar government in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: I have been asked to reply.
	The issuing of passports is a matter for the Government of Gibraltar and so we recommend my hon. Friend contacts them directly.

Preventing Violent Extremism Community Leadership Fund

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent from the Preventing Violent Extremism Community Leadership Fund in each category of expenditure in each year since its inception.

Shahid Malik: I have been asked to reply.
	The Community Leadership Fund was launched in 2007 and the following table shows how much has been spent in each category since then:
	
		
			  Community Leadership Fund 
			   
			  Strand  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1) 
			 Capacity building 422,303.00 802,641.00 636,141.00 
			 Supporting young people n/a 640,943.00 392,000.00 
			 Supporting women 40,000.00 164,862.50 274,124.16 
			 Local forums n/a 17,800.00 18,925.00 
			 Supporting faith leaders n/a 163,430.00 285,750.00 
			 Leadership capacity 418,247.00 n/a n/a 
			 Total 880,550.00 1,789,676.50 1,664,940.16 
			 (1)Allocations for 2009-10, of which the following funding has been released so far: Capacity building438,835.00 Supporting young people151,000.00 Supporting women174,427.00 Local forums18,925.00 Supporting faith leaders96,050.00 Total879,237.00

Radicalism: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) identified and  (b) prosecuted for spreading extremism on the web in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: We do not hold statistics in relation to the spread of violent extremism on the internetdata collected on terrorism prosecutions do not differentiate between online and off-line actions and we are unable accurately to separate all web based terrorism prosecutions from other terrorism prosecutions, in which the internet may have played a part.

EC Budget

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the amount of the UK's net contribution to the EU budget in each year since 2005 attributable to Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Administration.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are deployed on operations at each overseas location.

Bill Rammell: The endorsed force levels for UK military operations are set out in the following table by location.
	
		
			  Location  Endorsed number (at 26 October 2009)( 1) 
			 Afghanistan (2)9,500 
			 Iraq (3)100 
			 At sea (4)1,050 
			 Falklands/South Atlantic 1,500 
			 Qatar 250 
			 Cyprus 300 
			 Kuwait (5)50 
			 Kosovo 50 
			 Bahrain (6)150 
			 Oman 150 
			 Bosnia 50 
			 Other(6) 100 
			 (1) Rounded to 50. (2) On 14 October 2009, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, announced an increase in the number of troops deployed on Operation Herrick to 9,500. This new force level will be put into effect once three conditions are met: the Afghan Government demonstrates its commitment to bring forward the Afghan troops to be trained and to fight alongside our forces; UK troops are fully equipped for the operations they are asked to undertake; and that our commitment is part of an agreed approach across the international coalition, with all countries bearing their fair share. (3) On 15 June 2009,  Official Report, column 21, the Prime Minister set out for Parliament, the current number of UK military personnel we expect to remain in Iraq to conduct Navy training and Maritime support after the withdrawal of the bulk of our forces from southern Iraq and Baghdad. The UK/Iraq agreement has been ratified by the Presidency Council, and upon exchange of diplomatic notes between the UK and Iraq Governments, the UK will reinsert up to 100 personnel into Iraq to deliver its mandate. (4) Numbers at sea in support of Operations Telic and Calash. (5) In support of UK's mandate in Iraq. (6) Small scale deployments in support of EU and UN missions, headquarters liaison officers and capacity building activities. 
		
	
	The precise number of personnel in each theatre fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not therefore publish actual figures for personnel deployed in theatre.

Armed Forces: Families

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what organisations dedicated to service family welfare and support for the  (a) Army,  (b) Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force are supported by his Department; which of the organisations received funding from his Department in each of the last 10 years; and how much funding was provided in each case.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Defence provides support to Service families in many ways, using both internal and external organisations. Where the MOD engages with third sector organisations several funding methods are used, including contracts, grants in aid and both funded and unfunded voluntary work. However, an estimate of the funding provided to the HIVEs, establishments providing information to Service families, and the Service Families Federations for the last three years are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  RN
			 HIVES 259 215 238 
			 Families Federation 145 149 185 
			  Army
			 HIVES 1,099 1,126 1,147 
			 Families Federation 291 293 300 
			  RAF
			 HIVES 527 540 566 
			 Families Federation 246 252 268

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of overseas units of  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) service family accommodation are in each condition grade.

Kevan Jones: Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is graded by its physical condition and 'scale'. The best available data indicate that as at October 2009, overseas SLA was at the following grade.
	
		
			  Grade  Number of SLA bed-spaces  Percentage 
			 1 2,278 12 
			 2 1,399 7 
			 3 3,860 20 
			 4 11,403 59 
			 Not graded 265 2 
		
	
	Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is assessed for its Standard for Condition (SfC), a measure of the physical condition of a property. As at October 2009, overseas SFA was at the following SfC.
	
		
			  SfC  Number of SFA properties  Percentage 
			 S1fC 4,390 29 
			 S2fC 3,930 26 
			 S3fC 4,152 27 
			 S4fC 2,848 18 
			 Not yet assessed 99 Less than 1

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of UK units of  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) service family accommodation are in each condition grade.

Kevan Jones: A new condition survey of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in England and Wales is currently being undertaken and is due to be completed by April 2010. Of those properties surveyed, at October 2009 the following are at each Standard for Condition (SfC):
	
		
			  SfC  Number of properties  Percentage 
			 S1fC 12,412 37 
			 S2fC 19,825 59 
			 S3fC 1,191 4 
			 S4fC 217 Less than 1 
		
	
	Similar surveys of SFA in Scotland and Northern Ireland (NI) will be earned out in due course. At present no SfC data are available for NI SFA, however current data for Scotland SFA are as follows:
	
		
			  SfC  Number of properties  Percentage 
			 S1fC 3,134 97 
			 S2fC 93 3 
			 S3fC 1 Less than 1 
		
	
	Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is graded for its physical condition and 'scale'. As at December 2008, the latest date for which data is available, UK SLA was at the following grade:
	
		
			  Grade  Number of SLA bed-spaces  As a percentage 
			 1 34,933 25 
			 2 19,498 14 
			 3 22,101 16 
			 4 60,745 45

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required,  (b) actual and  (c) fit for task strength is of each battalion of the infantry.

Bill Rammell: The figures requested are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Division  Unit  Required strength  Actual strength  Number fit for task 
			 Guards 1 Grenadier Guards 632 586 525 
			  1 Coldstream Guards 626 606 522 
			  1 Scots Guards 753 665 580 
			  1 Irish Guards 633 629 554 
			  1 Welsh Guards 626 608 508 
			  
			 SCOTS 1 SCOTS 630 556 461 
			  2 SCOTS 627 518 455 
			  3 SCOTS 630 625 535 
			  4 SCOTS 686 584 528 
			  5 SCOTS 657 542 492 
			  
			 Queens 1 Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 755 722 655 
			  2 Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 671 600 553 
			  1 Royal Regt Fusiliers 660 573 491 
			  2 Royal Regt Fusiliers 626 548 472 
			  1 Royal Anglian 713 734 673 
			  2 Royal Anglian 629 628 565 
			  
			 Kings 1 LANCS 757 721 635 
			  2 LANCS 612 622 582 
			  1 YORKS incl. Gurkha Reinforcement Company 3 686 605 533 
			  2 YORKS 623 493 393 
			  3 YORKS 751 608 539 
			  
			 Prince of Wales 1 Mercian incl. Gurkha Reinforcement Company 1 731 648 622 
			  2 Mercian 623 614 526 
			  3 Mercian 678 606 540 
			  1 Royal Welsh 623 611 559 
			  2 Royal Welsh 751 687 579 
			  
			 RIFLES 1 RIFLES 623 712 614 
			  2 RIFLES 623 730 611 
			  3 RIFLES 623 662 580 
			  4 RIFLES 711 752 662 
			  5 R1FLES 752 770 679 
			  
			 Royal Irish 1 Royal Irish 650 586 531 
			  
			 PARA 2 PARA 650 624 545 
			  3 PARA 650 625 547 
			  
			 Royal Gurkha Rifles 1 Royal Gurkha Rifles 643 619 594 
			  2 Royal Gurkha Rifles incl. Gurkha Reinforcement Company 2 758 658 620 
		
	
	In addition to the battalions shown above there are three incremental Guards companies which are primarily for public duties but which can also be used to augment the other Guards battalions. This information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Unit  Required strength  Actual strength  Number fit for task 
			 Nijmegen Coy Grenadier Guards 108 107 96 
			 7 Coy Coldstream Guards 108 97 92 
			 F Coy Scots Guards 110 106 92 
		
	
	The figures in both tables include personnel filling all roles within each battalion, not just infantrymen.
	Required strength has been interpreted as the maximum number of posts in a battalion's peace time configuration.
	Actual strength has been interpreted as the number of personnel assigned to a battalion for its planned duties. It will also include augmentees who are temporarily assigned if needed to support the role of the battalion, for operational military tasks and events that cannot be achieved within required strengths. Similarly, the figures exclude those assigned out of the battalion to augment other units.
	Fit for task has been interpreted as fit to deploy for any form of duty on deployment, including personnel listed as having limited deployability. The difference between the actual strength and number fit for task represents those who are non-deployable because they are non-available for a combat role or non-effective (for example, due to medical reasons).

Army: Marines

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) regiments and  (b) battalions there are in the (i) Army and (ii) Royal Marines.

Bill Rammell: For the British Army, the Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) organisation produce these figures yearly in the UK Defence Statistics PublicationChapter 4 Formations, Vessels, Aircraft and Vehicles of the Armed Forces, table 4.2, which is available on the DASA website at the following address:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/modintranet/UKDS/UKDS2009/c4/table402.html
	For your convenience, UKDS table 4.2 is shown as follows:
	
		
			  Chapter 4: Formations, Vessels, Aircraft and Vehicles of the Armed Forces 
			  Table 4.2: Number of regiments, infantry battalions and major headquarters, in the Regular and Territorial Army, at 1 April each year 
			 1990  1997  2003  2004  2005  2006( 1)  2007  2008  2009 
			  Combat arms
			 Armour Regular Army Regiments 19 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 
			  Territorial Army Regiments 5 6 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
			 Infantry Regular Army Battalions 55 40 40 40 40 36 36 36 36 
			  Territorial Army Battalions 41 33 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 
			  Home Service Forces Battalions 11 7 4 4 4 
			 Special Forces Regular Army(2) Regiments 1 1 * * * * * * * 
			  Territorial Army(2) Regiments 2 2 * * * * * * * 
			 Aviation Regular Army(3) Regiments 4 5 * * * * * * * 
			  Territorial Army(3) Regiments n/a 1 * * * * * * * 
			 
			  Combat support
			 Artillery Regular Army(4) Regiments 22 15 15 14 14 14 14 14 14 
			  Territorial Army(5) Regiments 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 
			 Engineers Regular Army Regiments 13 10 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 
			  Territorial Army Regiments 8 9 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Signals Regular Army Regiments 13 11 12 11 11 11 12 12 12 
			  Territorial Army Regiments 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 (6)5 
			 
			  Combat service support
			 Equipment support Regular Army Battalions n/a 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 
			  Territorial Army Battalions n/a 5 4 4 4 4 4 (7)2 2 
			 Logistics Regular Army Regiments n/a 24 21 21 22 17 17 17 17 
			  Territorial Army Regiments n/a 19 17 17 17 15 17 17 17 
			 
			 Medical Regiments/Field Hospitals(8) Regular Army Number 16 12 8 8 8 11 8 8 8 
			  Territorial Army Number 17 18 15 15 15 13 13 13 13 
			 
			  Corps, Division and Brigade HQ( 9)
			 NATO Corps HQ   n/a n/a 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Division/District HQ Deployable  n/a n/a 2 2 2 2 2 2 (10)2 
			  Non-deployable  n/a n/a 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Brigade HQ Deployable  n/a n/a 9 9 9 8 8 7 7 
			  Non-deployable  n/a n/a 13 13 13 10 9 9 9 
			 (1) The numbers for 2006 reflect the Army's implementation of the Future Army Structure (FAS), announced on 16 December 2004. (2) From 1 April 2000 these units form part of Direct Special Forces. See Table 4.4. (3) From 1 April 2000 these units form part of the Joint Helicopter Command. See Table 4.4. (4) Excludes 14th Regiment Royal Artillery. (5) Includes the Honourable Artillery Company. (6) As a result of Planning Round 2009, six R Signals Regts (V) were removed from the force structure. (7) Restructuring of royal electrical and mechanical engineers was announced in 2008. (8) Field ambulance structures have been subsumed into the Medical Regiment concept as part of structural changes across the medical services. Field ambulances still exist in the Territorial Army. (9) Does not include temporary structures such as six Division HQ or 11 Light Brigade. (10) There are three divisional HQs this year. Only two are complete divisions; a third, six division HQ, was created for a specific operational task, and will then fold.  Source: MOD Resources and Plans. 
		
	
	The Royal Marines have one regimentCommando Logistics Regiment, and no battalions.
	Further information on the Royal Marines structure is available on the Royal Navy website at the following address:
	http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/royalmarines/units-and-deployments/3-commando-brigade/

Civil Contingency Reaction Forces

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what budget has been allocated to the Civil Contingency Reaction Force in each year since 2002.

Bill Rammell: 1.8 million per year was allocated to the Civil Contingency Reaction Force between 2002 and March 2009 to fund rolespecific training. The Civil Contingency Reaction Force was never mobilised, primarily because regular forces have been able to respond to crises in a shorter timescale, and its role has therefore now been discontinued. A framework of Joint Regional Liaison Officers and Brigade Reinforcement Teams continues to ensure effective liaison between regional army headquarters, local authorities and the emergency services.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: There are no current plans to accredit helplines with any organisation. Should there be a business need to do so, we will consider the merits of all organisations, including the Helplines Association, that offer accreditation.

Members: Correspondence

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the letters sent to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak from  (a) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Veterans) dated (i) 7 October 2009, reference D/Min(Veterans)KJ MC04309/2009, (ii) 15 August 2009, reference D/Min(Veterans)KJ MC03750/2009 and (iii) 28 July 2009, reference D/Min(Veterans)KJ MC03332/2009 and  (b) the Secretary of State, dated 26 February 2009, reference D/Min(AF)BA MC00669/2009 were printed on only one side of paper; if he will make it his Department's policy to use two-sided printing for its correspondence; and whether he has made an estimate of the potential savings in respect of paper use consequent on the implementation of such a policy.

Kevan Jones: It is MOD's aim to procure equipment, including printers, with sustainable development aims firmly in mind. The MOD is rolling out a single Defence-wide information technology infrastructure called the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) to some 2,000 sites worldwide. As DII rolls out, it is providing printers that automatically facilitate two-sided printing by default. This encourages two-sided printing at all times when appropriate, and reduces the amount of paper used. However, there are of course occasions when two-sided printing is not appropriate for the task.
	On the issue of ministerial correspondence, I have considered the possibility of using two-sided printing, and have concluded that in this particular process, the probability of more wastage is likely to outweigh the benefit.

Territorial Army: Training

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of allowing Territorial Army units to continue to train on drill nights until 1 April 2010.

Bill Rammell: As the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 354, 20 million has been found from the Treasury to ensure that the full range of normal training activities, including drill nights, can now continue for TA members.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the full response of his Department to the report by the Rarer Cancers Forum entitled Off limits, published on 14 August 2009; what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the recommendations of the report; what steps he is taking to assist NHS organisations in making decisions on the funding of off-label treatments for  (a) cancer and  (b) other conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We have made no such response. To help primary care trusts (PCTs) improve the quality of their decision-making on the funding of drugs and treatments, including off-label treatments, where there is no positive National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance, we have commissioned a number of measures to support the introduction of improved local processes:
	a set of public-facing principles to inform PCT decision-making was published in January 2009 available at:
	www.npc.co.uk/policy/local/guiding_principles.htm
	a set of Directions to PCTs making explicit their public law responsibilities for putting in place processes for making decisions on new drugs and treatments, came into force on 1 April 2009 available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_096067
	a handbook of good practice guidance for the national health service was published in March 2009, covering both funding policies on new drugs and processes for considering individual funding requests available at:
	www.npc.co.uk/policy/local/constitution_handbook.htm
	and
	strategic health authorities have been asked to review the way in which PCTs in their area collaborate to support effective decision-making on new drugs.
	In addition, the National Prescribing Centre has embarked on a major programme of work to provide support and a bespoke and continuing training package for key PCT staff, to help ensure that local processes are able to develop in the way we want.

Cancer: Consultants

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS oncologists were employed in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Medical and clinical oncology staff numbers within England and the North East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) from 1997-2008 are shown in the following table.
	Data for the two primary care trusts (PCTs) and one NHS trust, which make up the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency are also shown as far back as numbers are available.
	Data are not collected by general geographical area, only by administrative entities (PCTs/trusts/special health authorities) and SHA area, therefore it is not possible to give numbers for Tees Valley.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services (HCHS): Medical staff within the clinical and medical oncology specialties as at 30 September each year 
			  Headcount 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  England 
			 All staff 918 1,003 1,073 1,115 1,211 1,289 1,399 1,524 1,572 1,653 1,669 1,776 
			  of which: 
			 Consultants 376 401 415 440 480 500 549 593 653 715 731 768 
			  
			  North East SHA 
			 All staff 49 47 52 55 58 64 66 66 72 70 73 73 
			  of which: 
			 Consultants 23 22 24 27 32 31 32 32 41 42 36 40 
			  
			  Middlesbrough PCT( 1) 
			 All staff n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  of which: 
			 Consultants n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  Redcar and Cleveland PCT( 1) 
			 All staff n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  of which: 
			 Consultants n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust( 2) 
			 All staff (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) 10 15 14 18 17 15 15 
			  of which: 
			 Consultants (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) 6 8 8 12 12 8 11 
			 n/a = Not applicable (1) These PCTs were created in 2002. (2) This organisation was created in 2002. It was created from two organisations, one of which merged only in part; due to this part merger equivalent data for years prior to 2002 are not available. (3) Not available.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census

Cancer: Death

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts  (a) failed,  (b) under-achieved and  (c) achieved the Care Quality Commission's target reduction rate for cancer mortality in those aged under 75 years in 2008-09; and what definition the Care Quality Commission uses of (i) failure and (ii) under-achievement in this regard.

Mike O'Brien: The following table shows 2008-09 primary care trust scores for the Care Quality Commission's 'Reduction in cancer mortality rate in people age under 75' indicator.
	The definitions used by the Care Quality Commission to determine the scores for this indicator are:
	Achieved = Performance consistent with plan;
	Underachieved = Performance poorer than plan;
	Failed = Performance poorer than plan by a clear margin (two standard deviations).
	
		
			  Reduction in cancer mortality rate in people age under 75 
			  Trust name  2008-09 trust scores 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Barnet Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Bedfordshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Berkshire East Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Berkshire West Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Bexley Care Trust Achieved 
			 Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Blackpool Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Bristol Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Bromley Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Calderdale Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 City and Hackney Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 County Durham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Coventry Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Croydon Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Cumbria Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Darlington Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Devon Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Doncaster Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Dorset Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Dudley Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 East Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Enfield Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Gateshead Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Greenwich Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Halton and St. Helens Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Hampshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Harrow Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Hillingdon Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Hounslow Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Islington Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Kingston Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Kirklees Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Knowsley Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Leeds Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Lewisham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Luton Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Manchester Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Medway Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Mid Essex Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Newcastle Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Newham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Norfolk Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 North East Essex Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus Achieved 
			 North Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 North Somerset Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Northumberland Care Trust Achieved 
			 Nottingham City Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Oldham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Peterborough Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Redbridge Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Primary Care trust Achieved 
			 Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Rotherham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Sandwell Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Sefton Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Sheffield Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Solihull Care Trust Achieved 
			 South Birmingham Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 South Tyneside Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Southampton City Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Stockport Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Suffolk Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Swindon Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Torbay Care Trust Achieved 
			 Wakefield District Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 West Essex Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 West Kent Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Westminster Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Wirral Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			 Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust Achieved 
			   
			 Barnsley Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Bassetlaw Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Bath and North East Somerset Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching Primary Care trust Underachieved 
			 Camden Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Derby City Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Hartlepool Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Havering Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Herefordshire Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 North Tyneside Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Salford Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Somerset Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 South East Essex Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Southwark Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Stoke on Trent Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Surrey Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Walsall Teaching Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Warrington Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 West Sussex Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			 Worcestershire Primary Care Trust Underachieved 
			   
			 Bolton Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Bury Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Ealing Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Lambeth Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Leicester City Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Liverpool Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Shropshire County Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 South West Essex Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Tameside and Glossop Primary Care trust Failed 
			 Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Trafford Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Wandsworth Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Warwickshire Primary Care Trust Failed 
			 Wiltshire Primary Care Trust Failed

Cancer: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the NHS in implementing collaborative commissioning processes, as recommended by his Department's National Cancer Director in his November 2008 report on Improving access to medicines for NHS patients; what steps he is taking to share the example of the North East cancer drugs group with other geographical areas in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Strategic health authorities are working with their primary care trusts to support collaborative commissioning in their areas. Guidance on collaborative approaches to decision-making is also included in Supporting rational local decision-making about medicines (and treatments): A handbook of good practice guidance available at:
	www.npc.co.uk/policy/local/constitution_handbook.htm
	and this references the example of the North East cancer drugs group.

Cancer: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure patients are given access to balanced written information on the  (a) benefits,  (b) toxicities and  (c) costs of novel (i) on-label and (ii) off-label treatments; as recommended by his Department's National Cancer Director in his report on Improving access to medicines for NHS patients.

Mike O'Brien: The Department's Guidance on NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private care, published in March 2009, emphasised the importance of providing high quality written information to patients who wish to pay for additional private care. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The guidance makes clear that patients should be given full information about the potential benefits, risks, burdens and side effects of any treatment before being asked to consent to treatment.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department allocated for biomedical research on the causes and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis in 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The MRC's total expenditure on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) research amounted to 730,000 in 2008-09.
	Over the 10 years to 2008-09, a large part of the Department's total expenditure on health research was devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual NHS supported research projects undertaken during that time, including a number concerned with CFS/ME, are available on the archived national research register at:
	https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchiveSearch.aspx.

Commissioning Support Appraisals Service

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will publish in full the statement his Department's spokesperson issued to the  Daily Mail on 19 October 2009 in response to that newspaper's publication of a report on the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service; what assessment his Department has made of the effect on levels of patient care of the operation of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service has been since its inception;
	(3)  on what date  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials of his Department were first informed of the operations within the NHS of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what representations he has received on the operation of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what involvement his Department had in the establishment of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service in the NHS;
	(6)  what meetings  (a) Ministers and officials of his Department and  (b) officials of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have had with the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service.

Mike O'Brien: The Department had no involvement in the establishment of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service. Ministers and officials became aware of its operation in October 2009.
	No information is held centrally on the cost of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service. We understand that it receives its funding from participating national health service organisations. No assessment of its operation has been made by the Department.
	No representations have been received and there have been no meetings between Ministers or officials and representatives of the Commissioning Support Appraisals Service. Meetings with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence are a matter for the institute.
	A copy of the Department's statement to the  Daily Mail has been placed in the Library.

Cosmetics: Health Hazards

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent harm to human health arising from the use of skin-whitening products, with particular reference to products containing the ingredients  (a) mercury,  (b) kojic acid,  (c) steroids and  (d) hydroquinone.

Mike O'Brien: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) deals with skin-whitening products that contain cortico-steroids as this makes such a product a medicine by definition and therefore subject to the controls of the Medicines Act 1968 and associated legislation.
	Hydroquinone and mercuric iodide in skin-whitening products are controlled under Cosmetics (Safety) Regulations 2008, as amended, which is the jurisdiction of Trading Standards. Kojic acid is not controlled by medicines legislation or cosmetics legislation and therefore does not fall under the jurisdiction of the MHRA or Trading Standards.
	Since 2008, the MHRA has conducted 16 visits often with Trading Standards to retail outlets in the United Kingdom, which have resulted in the removal and seizure of hundreds of illegal skin-whitening creams to a value in excess of 65,000.
	In addition, since 2006, the MHRA has conducted six successful prosecutions, five of which have been jointly with Trading Standards. This has resulted in suspended prison sentences and fines to the value of 247,400 for breaches of the Medicines Act, the Cosmetics Product (Safety) Regulations and Consumer Protection Act. There are two further joint prosecutions currently under way.

Dental Services: St Albans

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on NHS general dental services in St. Albans in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	However, expenditure on primary dental care services in West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) 2006-07 to 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			000 
			  Financial year  Expenditure type  Gross expenditure  Dental charges paid by patients  Net expenditure 
			 2006-07 actual 24,697 4,889 19,808 
			  At 2008-09 prices 26,034 5,154 20,880 
			 2007-08 actual 26,307 5,755 20,552 
			  At 2008-09 prices 26,952 5,896 21,056 
			 2008-09 actual 30,813 5,352 25,461 
			  Notes: 1. As the data reflects the contract framework for primary dental care services introduced from 1 April 2006, it includes all relevant service costs, and is based on the PCT areas introduced from 1 October 2006, it is not directly comparable with the available pre-2006 data. 2. Actual expenditure figures have been converted into 2008-09 prices using the gross domestic product deflator index as at 29 September 2009.  Source: Calculated from details of gross primary dental care expenditure, and income from dental charges, recorded in the notes to the PCT's accounts.

Health Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust,  (b) South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and  (c) York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spent on healthcare in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: The following table shows the amounts spent by North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT), South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on healthcare in each of the last three years.
	
		
			   000 
			   2008-09  2007-08  2006-07 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 1,046,418 989,278 976,675 
			 York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust n/a n/a 180,536 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 417,778 384,063 358,292 
			  Notes: 1. The figures provided for the PCT represent the total expenditure on the purchase of healthcare from providers for its own resident population (with the exception of dental and ophthalmic services where there is no need for PCTs to distinguish between spend on residents or non-residents). The figures include healthcare commissioned from the PCT's own provider function. 2. National health service trusts are not funded directly by the Department. Money voted to the Department by Parliament is allocated to PCTs who act as commissioners to ensure that the health needs of their local populations are addressed. 3. NHS trusts are not required to disclose separately their spend on healthcare and non-healthcare items in their summarisation schedules or accounts. The data provided are the Trust's total operating expenses.  Source:  Audited summarisation schedules.

Influenza

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is considering the provision of additional support for general practitioner surgeries in the winter months to assist with  (a) administering the swine influenza vaccine and  (b) an increase in patients suffering from influenza.

Mike O'Brien: General practices will receive an additional payment of 5.25 for each dose of swine flu vaccine they administer to patients in the clinically at-risk priority groups announced by the Department's chief medical officer on 13 August 2009. In addition, NHS Employers, on behalf of the Government, are discussing with the British Medical Association's General Practitioners Committee arrangements for supporting practices in the event of there being a significant increase in the number of patients suffering from swine influenza.

Influenza: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of  (a) the H1N1 influenza vaccine and  (b) seasonal influenza vaccines are available for distribution (i) nationwide and (ii) in Herefordshire; what the timetable for distribution is in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: As of 2 November 2009 6.2 million doses of HlNl vaccine have been delivered into the Department's central warehouse. This vaccine is in the process of being delivered to trusts and general practitioner (GP) surgeries. So far, 17,100 doses have been sent to locations within Herefordshire Primary Care Trust. The remainder of scheduled deliveries will be completed in November.
	Vaccine manufacturers have advised the Department that 15.3 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine are available in the United Kingdom for the 2009-10 influenza season. Seasonal influenza vaccine is ordered by GP practices direct from the manufacturers. The Department is not involved in the ordering process and does not have information about amounts ordered for particular localities. Seasonal influenza vaccine is distributed from mid-September onwards, with most GP practices starting vaccination from early October.

NHS: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in improving the timeliness of decision-making by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence since the publication of his Department's report on Improving access to medicines for NHS patients in November 2008; how his Department plans to monitor progress in implementing this recommendation in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Good progress is being made in improving the timeliness of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance, supported by increased investment in appraisal capacity and the introduction of new, simpler arrangements for identifying the topics that NICE will appraise. Progress will be monitored through routine performance monitoring arrangements between the Department and NICE.

NHS: Drugs

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what contingency arrangements his Department has in place to manage shortages in the supply of medicines;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had on shortages in the supply of medicines; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department, in conjunction with the pharmaceutical industry, has published joint best practice guidelines, entitled Notification and Management of Medicines Shortages. They are designed to help minimise the impact of any medicine shortage. These guidelines can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_063330
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	I recently met with the hon. Member for Watford (Claire Ward) to discuss among other things, possible medicines shortages, on 21 October. Also present were SIGMA Pharmaceuticals and Carter Chemist. Departmental officials have frequent contact with manufacturers, wholesalers and health care professionals about shortages and discontinuations of medicines.

NHS: Private Sector

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on the effectiveness of the operation of his Department's guidance on NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private care, since the guidance was published in March 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We have received a number of inquiries about how the guidance applies in particular circumstances but no formal representations since the Department's guidance on national health service patients who wish to pay for additional private care was published in March 2009.

North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust: Pay

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on employment costs of  (a) managers,  (b) nurses,  (c) doctors and  (d) other administrative staff at North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the staffing costs of  (a) managers and senior managers,  (b) nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff,  (c) medical staff and  (d) administrative and clerical staff at the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Annual Staffing CostsNorth Yorkshire and York PCT 
			   000 
			   Managers and senior managers  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff  Medical staff  Admin and clerical staff 
			 2008-09 10,233 50,079 17,485 14,234 
			 2007-08 10,442 54,628 15,420 12,076 
			 2006-07 11,709 56,930 14,359 10,427 
			 2005-06 12,587 57,258 13,376 10,570 
			 2004-05 12,582 48,260 12,619 9,314 
			  Notes: 1. The figures provided are for total expenditure on staff and will include social security costs, pension contributions and early retirement costs. Redundancy costs are not included. The figures also include staff not directly employed by the organisation, such as agency staff. 2. Information is from the financial returns of national health service bodies. The data are not audited but is validated to the audited summarisation schedules. 3. North Yorkshire and York PCT was formed in October 2006 as a result of the merger of the Hambleton and Richmondshire PCT, the Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT, the Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT and the Selby and York PCT. Therefore, the figures reported for 2005-06 and 2004-05 are the sum of the four predecessor PCTs.  Source:  Financial Returns.

Pain: Drugs

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what medication the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is assessing in relation to the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome.

Mike O'Brien: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not developing guidance specifically on the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome.
	NICE is developing a short clinical guideline on the pharmacological management of neuropathic pain in adults in non-specialist settings and recently published draft guidance for consultation. The published scope for this guideline, which details the treatments it will cover, is available on NICE's website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp?action= downloado=44204

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of administering the NHS prescription charging system in each of the last three years.

Mike O'Brien: The following table provides an estimate of direct and overhead costs for the administration of prescription pre-payment, maternity exemption and medical exemption certificates for the last three complete financial years in England. These costs are the only elements of the prescription charging system that can be separately identified.
	
		
			  Pre-payment certificates maternity and medical exemption certificate 
			  National health service prescription charge administrative process  000 
			 2006-07 3,300 
			 2007-08 3,800 
			 2008-09 3,900 
		
	
	Costs for processing prescription charges cannot be provided, because they are processed as part of the reimbursement arrangements for dispensers in England and are not separately identifiable. Costs cannot be provided for the pursuit of prescription charge fraud as it is not possible to separately identify this from the cost of tackling other types of NHS fraud.
	There are additional costs associated with the issuing of NHS tax credit certificates and assessment of eligibility for the NHS Low Income Scheme. These are not included in the table because the English costs cannot be isolated from costs for the devolved Administrations. In addition these certificates do not solely relate to prescription charges as NHS tax credit certificates and NHS Low Income Scheme also provide help with the cost of NHS dental treatment, sight tests, a voucher towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses, NHS wigs and fabric supports, the cost of travel to receive NHS treatment, as well as help with NHS prescription charges.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Pay

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the staffing costs of  (a) managers,  (b) nurses,  (c) doctors and  (d) other administrative staff at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the staffing costs of  (a) managers and senior managers,  (b) nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff,  (c) medical staff and  (d) administrative and clerical staff at the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Annual staffing costs: South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			  000 
			   Managers and senior managers  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff  Medical staff  Admin istrative  and clerical staff 
			 2008-09 8,461 90,659 78,478 26,064 
			 2007-08 7,605 84,990 74,135 23,496 
			 2006-07 7,561 82,324 71,547 22,802 
			 2005-06 7,639 76,729 66,993 22,150 
			 2004-05 8,445 73,282 65,820 23,915 
			  Notes: 1. The figures provided are for total expenditure on staff and will include social security costs, pension contributions and early retirement costs. Redundancy costs are not included. The figures also include staff not directly employed by the organisation, such as agency staff. 2. Information is from the financial returns of national health service bodies. The data is not audited but is validated to the audited summarisation schedules. 3. The South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was licensed as a foundation trust in May 2009.  Source: Financial Returns.

Speech Therapy: Manpower

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists completed their training in the UK in each of the last five years; and what his Department's latest estimate is of the number of  (a) job vacancies in this profession and  (b) trained speech therapists.

Ann Keen: The following table contains the number of speech and language therapy commissions in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Allied Health Professionals Training Commissions 1996-97 to 2008-09 
			   Source  Speech therapy 
			 1996-97 BS 74 
			 1997-98 A/R 75 
			 1998-99 A/R(1) 455 
			 1999-2000 Revised Q4 457 
			 2000-01 QMR Q4 558 
			 2001-02 QMR Q4 553 
			 2002-03 QMR Q4 597 
			 2003-04 QMR Q4 630 
			 2004-05 QMR Q4 740 
			 2005-06 QMR Q4 797 
			 2006-07 QMR Q4 758 
			 2007-08 QMR Q4 770 
			 2008-09 QMR Q4 79 
			 (1 )Unvalidated 1998-99 outturn.  Note: BS = Balance Sheet.  A/R = non-medical education and training (NMET) accountability report.  QMR = NMET quarterly monitoring reports.  Source:  NHS Pay Review body. 
		
	
	The last national health service vacancy survey showed that at March 2008 there were 30 vacancies in speech and language therapy that trusts had actively been trying to fill.
	A table giving the number of trained speech therapists as at September 2008 is as follows.
	
		
			  England as at September 2008 
			   Speech and language therapy 
			 Qualified staff 7,115 
			 Consultant therapist 12 
			 Manager 313 
			 Therapist 6,676 
			 Scientist  
			 Scientific officer  
			 Technician  
			 Instructor/teacher 112 
			 Tutor 2

York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Pay

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on staffing costs of  (a) managers,  (b) nurses,  (c) doctors and  (d) other administrative staff at York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the staffing costs of  (a) managers and senior managers,  (b) nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff,  (c) medical staff and  (d) administrative and clerical staff at the York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from 2004-05 to 2006-07. The Trust was licensed as a foundation trust on 1 April 2007. The Department does not collect this data from foundation trusts.
	
		
			  Annual staffing costsYork hospitals NHS foundation trust 
			  000 
			   Managers and senior managers  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff  Medical staff  Admin and clerical staff 
			 2008-09 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2007-08 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006-07 7,406 42,090 34,372 11,901 
			 2005-06 7,565 38,145 29,686 11,393 
			 2004-05 6,921 33,027 27,149 10,623 
			  Notes: 1. The figures provided are for total expenditure on staff and will include social security costs, pension contributions and early retirement costs. Redundancy costs are not included. The figures also include staff not directly employed by the organisation, such as agency staff. 2. Information is from the financial returns of national health service bodies. The data is not audited but is validated to the audited summarisation schedules.  Source: Financial Returns

Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the budget of the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority was in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the budget of the  (a) North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust,  (b) South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and  (c) York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: The following table shows the final revenue resource limit for the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA), the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT), the York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last three years for which data are available.
	
		
			  000 
			   2008-09  2007-08  2006-07 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 735,624 735,480 663,361 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 1,046,199 969,396 881,661 
			 York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust n/a n/a 180,026 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 436,711 409,156 364,589 
			  Notes: 1. The final revenue resource limit represents the total amount of expenditure that a PCT or SHA can incur in a financial year. 2. The figures provided for acute trusts represent total income for the year. national health service trusts do not have a revenue resource limit. In contrast to PCTs, NHS trusts are not funded directly by the Secretary of State from sums voted by Parliament, and their accounts are not consolidated into the Department's resource account. NHS trusts are semi-autonomous organisations whose income derives from the provision of services to PCTs through what might be described as trading activity. 3. The NHS trust regime has similarities to the regime for Government trading funds, where expenditure for Government activity is met from income from third parties, rather than direct funding from resources voted to the Department. 4. York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was licensed on 1 April 2007, therefore no data are provided for the 2008-09 and 2007-08 financial years. The Department does not collect data from Foundation Trusts.  Source: Audited summarisation schedules

Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority: Pay

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the staffing costs of  (a) managers,  (b) nurses,  (c) doctors and  (d) other administrative staff at Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority was in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the staffing costs of  (a) managers and senior managers,  (b) nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff,  (c) medical staff and  (d) administrative and clerical staff at the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Annual staffing costsYorkshire and the Humber SHA 
			  000 
			   Managers and senior managers  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff  Medical staff  Admin and clerical staff 
			 2008-09 16,315 0 1,665 2,225 
			 2007-08 17,210 0 2,025 2,018 
			 2006-07 21,163 0 2,639 2,928 
			 2005-06 19,504 134 1,687 3,323 
			 2004-05 18,822 85 1,596 6,865 
			  Notes: 1. The figures provided are for total expenditure on staff and will include social security costs, pension contributions and early retirement costs. Redundancy costs are not included. The figures also include staff not directly employed by the organisation, such as agency staff. 2. Information is from the financial returns of national health service bodies. The data is not audited but is validated to the audited summarisation schedules. 3. The Yorkshire and the Humber SHA was formed in July 2006 following the merger of the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA, West Yorkshire SHA and South Yorkshire SHA. Therefore, the figures provided for 2005-06 and 2004-05 are the sum of the three predecessor SHAs.  Source: SHA Financial Returns.

Coroner Service

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons inquests into the deaths of Scottish service personnel overseas are held by HM Coroner for Wiltshire.

Bridget Prentice: There is no provision in the Scottish legal system for coroners' inquests and fatal accident inquiries cannot be held into deaths outwith Scotland. However, we are committed to ensuring that the death of every serviceman or woman overseas is subject to an independent inquiry and therefore inquests into the deaths of Scotland-based service personnel in military operations overseas are conducted by the coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon. We recognise the burden this places on bereaved families, in having to travel to Wiltshire to attend inquests. As a result, earlier this year UK Ministers met with Scottish Ministers to ask them to agree that we should enable fatal accident inquiries to be held in Scotland into the deaths abroad of service personnel on active service, where the bereaved family is based in Scotland. The Government have subsequently amended the Coroners and Justice Bill, which is currently before Parliament, to facilitate this.

Legal Aid: Immigration

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisations in the London procurement area received funds from the Legal Services Commission in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09; and for each such organisation how many (i) asylum and (ii) non-asylum immigration cases they had in which Legal Services Commission funding started in each of those years.

Bridget Prentice: The information in Table 1 shows active legal aid providers in the London procurement area for financial years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 delivering immigration and/or asylum work.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Financial year 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 A C S Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 A. B. Law Yes Yes No 
			 Abiloye  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Aden  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes No 
			 Afrifa  Partners Yes Yes Yes 
			 Afro-Asian Advisory Service Yes Yes Yes 
			 Agape Solicitors Yes Yes No 
			 Aman Solicitors Advocates Yes Yes Yes 
			 Andrews Yes Yes Yes 
			 Anthony Louca Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Antons Solicitors Yes No No 
			 Arden Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Asylum Aid Yes Yes Yes 
			 A-Z Law Yes Yes Yes 
			 Azam  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Baker Jayacodi Solicitors Yes No No 
			 Barnes Harrild  Dyer Yes Yes Yes 
			 Barnet Law Service Yes Yes Yes 
			 Bart-Williams  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Battersea Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Bermondsey CAB Yes Yes Yes 
			 Bindman  Partners Yes Yes Yes 
			 Birnberg Peirce  Partners Yes Yes Yes 
			 Blavo  Company Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Brent CAB Yes Yes Yes 
			 Brent Community Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 CAB - Whitechapel Yes Yes No 
			 Camden Community Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Cardinal Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Central London Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Charles Allotey  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Charles Annon  Co. Ltd Yes Yes Yes 
			 Charles Simmons Yes Yes No 
			 Chartwell  Sadlers Yes Yes Yes 
			 Chinese Information  Advice Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Chipatiso  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Christian Gottfried  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Christian Khan Yes Yes Yes 
			 CK Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Cleveland  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Clore  Co. Yes Yes No 
			 Community Law Clinic Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Corbin  Hassan Ltd. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Crimson Phoenix Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Croydon  Sutton Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 CT Emezie Solicitors Yes Yes No 
			 Dare Emmanuel Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Deighton Guedalla Yes Yes Yes 
			 Devonshires RE Lawson Turner  Gilbert Yes No No 
			 Devonshires RE Phoenix Nova Sols Yes No No 
			 Dhillon  Co. Solicitors plc Yes Yes Yes 
			 Doves Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Duncan Lewis  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Duncan Lewis (SB) No No Yes 
			 Duncan Lewis Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Edmunds Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Elder Rahimi Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Enfield Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Eve Wee Yes Yes No 
			 Fadiga  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Figueiredo  Bailey Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Fisher Meredith Yes Yes Yes 
			 Fletcher Dervish  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Freemans Yes Yes Yes 
			 Geeta Patel  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Genga  Co. Solicitors Ltd. Yes Yes No 
			 Gillman-Smith Lee Yes Yes Yes 
			 Glazer Delmar Yes Yes Yes 
			 Goldkorn Mathias Gentle Yes Yes No 
			 Greenland Solicitors LLP Yes Yes No 
			 Greenwich Community Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Gupta and Partners (Harleseden) Yes Yes No 
			 H C L Hanne  Co. Yes Yes No 
			 H S Kang  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hackman Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hackney Community Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hameed  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hammersmith  Fulham Community Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Haringey CAB Yes Yes Yes 
			 Harrow Solicitors  Advocates Yes Yes Yes 
			 Havillands  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hayat  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hereward  Foster Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hersi  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hiace Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hillingdon Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hoshi  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Hounslow Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Howe  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Ikie Yes No No 
			 Immigration Advisory Service No Yes Yes 
			 Immigration Advisory Service (Hounslow) No Yes Yes 
			 Immigration Advisory Service (London) Yes Yes Yes 
			 Irving  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Islington Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 J D Spicer  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 J R Jones Yes Yes Yes 
			 Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants Yes Yes Yes 
			 Kensington CAB Yes Yes  
			 Kenwright  Lynch Yes Yes Yes 
			 Kibedi  Co. Yes   
			 Kingston  Richmond Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Knights Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Knox  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Lambeth Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Law For AllActon Law Shop Yes Yes Yes 
			 Lawrence  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Lawrence Lupin Solicitors Ltd. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Lawson Adefope Solicitors Yes No No 
			 LB  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Leslie  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Lewisham Law Centre Ltd. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Leytonstone CAB Yes Yes Yes 
			 Luqmani Thompson  Partners Yes Yes Yes 
			 Mang  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Marziano Khatry  Mak Solicitor Yes Yes Yes 
			 Merton Racial Equality Partnership No No Yes 
			 Migrants Resource Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Moss, Beachley Mullem  Coleman Yes No No 
			 Mountain Partnership Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Nag  Co. Yes No No 
			 Nandy  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Nathaniel  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes No 
			 Newham CAB Yes Yes Yes 
			 Noden  Co. Intervention Yes Yes No 
			 North Kensington Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Nucleus Yes Yes Yes 
			 O'Keeffe Solicitors Yes Yes No 
			 Ovo Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Owen White  Catlin Yes Yes Yes 
			 Oxford House in Bethnal Green Yes Yes Yes 
			 Ozoran Turkan Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 P. Krama  Company Yes Yes Yes 
			 Paddington Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Palis Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Patricks Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Pearson  Winston Solicitors Yes Yes No 
			 Perera  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Pinidiya Solicitors LLP Yes Yes Yes 
			 Polpitiya  Co. Ltd. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Powell  Co. Yes No No 
			 Powell Spencer and Partners Yes Yes No 
			 Popkin  Co. Solicitors No No Yes 
			 Rahman  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Raja  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Ratna  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Refugee Legal Centre (London Region)(1) Yes Yes Yes 
			 Ross Simon  Co. Yes No No 
			 S C Pelentrides  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 S J Solicitors Yes No No 
			 S S Basi  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Salfiti  Co. Yes Yes No 
			 Sam  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Samars Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Samuel  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Sasdev  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Scott-Moncrieff Harbour  Sinclair Yes Yes No 
			 Scudamores Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Shahid Rahman Yes No No 
			 Shan  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Sharma  Co. Solicitors Yes Yes No 
			 Sheikh  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Sheikh  Co. Solicitors Ltd. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Shergill  Co. Yes Yes No 
			 Simman Solicitors Yes Yes Yes 
			 Simply Legal Solicitors No No Yes 
			 Southwark Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Southwark Race  Equalities Council Yes Yes Yes 
			 Spence  Horne Yes Yes Yes 
			 Sriharans Yes Yes Yes 
			 Stanley and Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Sutovic  Hartigan Yes Yes Yes 
			 Tamil Welfare Association (Newham) UK Yes Yes Yes 
			 Tayo Arowojolu Solicitors Yes No No 
			 Terrence Higgins Trust Advice Centre (FAO Jean Foreman) Yes Yes Yes 
			 Thakrar  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Thamesmead Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Theva  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Thompson  Co. Yes Yes No 
			 Tower Hamlets East CAB No No Yes 
			 Tower Hamlets Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Trivedy  Virdi Yes No No 
			 Trott  Gentry Yes Yes Yes 
			 Vahib  Co. Yes No No 
			 Walthamstow CAB Yes Yes Yes 
			 Wandsworth  Merton Law Centre Yes Yes Yes 
			 Waran  Company Yes Yes Yes 
			 Warnapala  Co. Ltd. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Westminster Citizens Advice Yes Yes Yes 
			 White Ryland Yes Yes No 
			 Wick  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Wilson  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Wilson Houlder  Co. Yes Yes Yes 
			 Yanakas Votsis Associates Yes Yes Yes 
			 YVA Solicitors No No Yes 
			 Zelin  Zelin Yes Yes Yes 
			 Ziadies Yes Yes Yes 
			 (1 )The Refugee Legal Centre (London Region) is now known as Refugee  Migrant Justice. 
		
	
	Table 2 shows immigration and asylum cases started in financial year 2008-09. To protect commercial interests of the providers involved, the table has been anonymised and is not reflective of order in Table 1 above.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			   Asylum NMS  Immigration NMS  Asylum NMS  Immigration NMS  Asylum NMS  Immigration NMS 
			 Firm 1 1,176 92 1,523 177 2,825 677 
			 Firm 2 1,024 402 1,044 358 1,770 388 
			 Firm 3 495 2,073 1,075 3,093 1,337 4.281 
			 Firm 4 1,202 1,668 1,320 1,575 1,294 1.675 
			 Firm 5 1,994 122 902 76 1,085 157 
			 Firm 6 211 514 277 486 907 700 
			 Firm 7 980 150 840 100 865 25 
			 Firm 8 317 66 423 45 722 84 
			 Firm 9 657 1,413 282 293 670 8 
			 Firm 10 331 916 334 709 582 766 
			 Firm 11 230 229 579 367 505 284 
			 Firm 12 525 120 354 90 442 95 
			 Firm 13 525 641 386 406 436 529 
			 Firm 14 385 182 271 165 421 138 
			 Firm 15 284 160 435 145 370 142 
			 Firm 16 290 46 245 73 366 83 
			 Firm 17 281 105 261 67 357 111 
			 Firm 18 462 354 359 363 333 214 
			 Firm 19 172 251 183 211 284 154 
			 Firm 20 277 55 291 74 282 104 
			 Firm 21 224 101 176 114 277 79 
			 Firm 22 11 153 34 26 270 165 
			 Firm 23 97 115 102 85 267 162 
			 Firm 24 104 963 66 1,017 221 1,152 
			 Firm 25 141 149 195 91 209 137 
			 Firm 26 128 30 46 12 206 12 
			 Firm 27 134 328 228 379 203 471 
			 Firm 28 177 76 157 90 203 86 
			 Firm 29 114 127 126 58 197 58 
			 Firm 30 115 80 137 33 185 56 
			 Firm 31 114 306 147 325 178 356 
			 Firm 32 527 5 257 0 177 62 
			 Firm 33 82 139 96 150 171 148 
			 Firm 34 119 62 54 38 158 73 
			 Firm 35 348 324 350 309 156 360 
			 Firm 36 188 138 273 184 154 111 
			 Firm 37 121 37 87 21 151 35 
			 Firm 38 77 19 72 43 148 78 
			 Firm 39 128 170 18 114 138 270 
			 Firm 40 48 108 60 119 136 206 
			 Firm 41 388 28 87 22 135 40 
			 Firm 42 88 172 87 166 133 179 
			 Firm 43 0 0 0 0 131 1 
			 Firm 44 118 100 101 60 125 71 
			 Firm 45 168 25 93 9 125 3 
			 Firm 46 151 1 154 0 120 0 
			 Firm 47 75 136 42 70 116 120 
			 Firm 48 141 193 96 126 115 128 
			 Firm 49 32 68 63 80 110 65 
			 Firm 50 112 15 34 1 105 7 
			 Firm 51 75 82 107 124 102 144 
			 Firm 52 75 107 75 100 95 107 
			 Firm 53 53 68 55 82 95 90 
			 Firm 54 129 75 98 76 92 63 
			 Firm 55 58 17 49 9 87 16 
			 Firm 56 79 19 91 22 80 16 
			 Firm 57 60 19 42 9 79 0 
			 Firm 58 18 118 5 49 77 77 
			 Firm 59 57 67 46 61 75 46 
			 Firm 60 15 3 17 4 74 43 
			 Firm 61 276 95 136 69 73 112 
			 Firm 62 61 470 14 320 72 396 
			 Firm 63 51 47 51 19 71 20 
			 Firm 64 163 61 88 57 68 69 
			 Firm 65 58 7 43 5 68 9 
			 Firm 66 0 0 0 0 66 317 
			 Firm 67 181 39 76 28 64 17 
			 Firm 68 24 176 30 108 63 195 
			 Firm 69 57 51 46 47 61 62 
			 Firm 70 75 8 78 34 59 34 
			 Firm 71 23 53 5 2 59 4 
			 Firm 72 25 40 32 44 53 29 
			 Firm 73 37 38 27 20 53 10 
			 Firm 74 57 140 44 89 52 191 
			 Firm 75 108 24 36 18 52 19 
			 Firm 76 76 151 65 130 50 112 
			 Firm 77 32 131 40 103 50 149 
			 Firm 78 49 136 16 132 50 191 
			 Firm 79 17 34 9 24 50 58 
			 Firm 80 23 18 23 10 48 10 
			 Firm 81 25 65 54 81 47 70 
			 Firm 82 69 35 34 20 47 31 
			 Firm 83 54 86 35 84 45 119 
			 Firm 84 17 101 76 88 44 93 
			 Firm 85 95 61 63 137 43 176 
			 Firm 86 32 20 26 13 43 21 
			 Firm 87 48 43 56 42 42 26 
			 Firm 88 37 24 27 16 41 11 
			 Firm 89 105 405 52 360 37 329 
			 Firm 90 10 49 22 71 36 86 
			 Firm 91 66 52 31 42 35 42 
			 Firm 92 22 56 19 36 31 68 
			 Firm 93 19 54 12 28 31 84 
			 Firm 94 35 110 30 55 30 7 
			 Firm 95 30 230 101 180 29 51 
			 Firm 96 20 126 17 142 29 93 
			 Firm 97 39 138 35 80 28 79 
			 Firm 98 17 125 11 73 27 84 
			 Firm 99 15 87 18 47 26 84 
			 Firm 100 12 32 4 15 26 19 
			 Firm 101 38 38 25 56 24 39 
			 Firm 102 8 17 4 18 23 32 
			 Firm 103 10 240 54 218 22 224 
			 Firm 104 117 0 97 34 17 18 
			 Firm 105 13 51 16 41 17 30 
			 Firm 106 19 83 13 57 16 96 
			 Firm 107 19 64 16 6 15 55 
			 Firm 108 6 55 5 36 15 19 
			 Firm 109 3 144 2 216 15 327 
			 Firm 110 0 0 0 0 15 0 
			 Firm 111 42 619 90 545 13 505 
			 Firm 112 7 113 0 80 13 229 
			 Firm 113 28 48 21 35 12 26 
			 Firm 114 7 78 8 54 11 72 
			 Firm 115 9 113 10 117 10 105 
			 Firm 116 16 1 16 1 9 0 
			 Firm 117 16 8 7 1 9 3 
			 Firm 118 6 100 6 81 9 82 
			 Firm 119 12 130 3 128 9 138 
			 Firm 120 5 19 23 26 8 20 
			 Firm 121 34 59 14 17 8 18 
			 Firm 122 24 92 11 37 8 78 
			 Firm 123 17 36 6 19 8 3 
			 Firm 124 4 31 4 17 8 9 
			 Firm 125 33 91 20 77 7 40 
			 Firm 126 4 16 6 8 7 13 
			 Firm 127 12 100 6 69 6 38 
			 Firm 128 2 1 0 1 6 8 
			 Firm 129 37 75 16 45 5 91 
			 Firm 130 4 235 8 177 5 271 
			 Firm 131 17 50 8 50 4 71 
			 Firm 132 8 1 5 1 4 o 
			 Firm 133 7 49 10 34 3 84 
			 Firm 134 3 270 3 301 3 265 
			 Firm 135 34 110 15 25 2 11 
			 Firm 136 22 59 9 16 2 50 
			 Firm 137 3 31 4 13 2 0 
			 Firm 138 34 144 7 81 1 58 
			 Firm 139 24 16 3 10 1 28 
			 Firm 140 0 46 3 58 1 135 
			 Firm 141 1 139 0 128 1 163 
			 Firm 142 721 1,011 449 402 0 0 
			 Firm 143 181 82 85 25 0 0 
			 Firm 144 379 145 82 14 0 0 
			 Firm 145 112 88 73 65 0 0 
			 Firm 146 202 3 55 5 0 0 
			 Firm 147 58 60 26 66 0 2 
			 Firm 148 80 0 24 0 0 0 
			 Firm 149 47 205 21 85 0 48 
			 Firm 150 20 58 8 25 0 0 
			 Firm 151 16 31 4 7 0 0 
			 Firm 152 11 30 4 4 0 0 
			 Firm 153 9 60 4 19 0 0 
			 Firm 154 3 1 2 0 0 1 
			 Firm 155 24 34 1 12 0 0 
			 Firm 156 2 21 1 6 0 11 
			 Firm 157 208 349 0 156 0 0 
			 Firm 158 48 16 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 159 31 64 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 160 25 30 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 161 24 9 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 162 23 34 0 1 0 0 
			 Firm 163 18 6 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 164 17 38 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 165 14 12 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 166 13 7 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 167 10 26 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 168 7 26 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 169 6 47 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 170 5 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 171 3 6 0 1 0 0 
			 Firm 172 2 12 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 173 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 174 1 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 175 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 176 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 177 0 0 0 0 0 o 
			 Firm 178 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 179 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 181 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 182 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 183 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 184 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 185 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 186 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 187 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 188 0 42 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 189 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 190 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 191 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 192 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 193 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 194 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 195 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 196 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 197 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 198 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Firm 199 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 21,893 24,070 18,402 19,847 24,002 23,001 
			 Notes:  1. Though anonymised, the data reads across the years for each firm.  2. The offices of the Immigration Advisory Service and the Refugee Legal Centre (London Region) have been summed together into one entry each.  3. NMS figures are the number of new matters reported at the end of the relevant financial year.  4. Some firms reported zero NMS though they held a contract in these categories of law.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates courts have been closed in each criminal justice area in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: The following table provides details of the magistrates court closures (broken down into HMCS Criminal Justice Areas) which have taken place since 1997. Officials estimate that 240 magistrates courts were closed from 1979-97 and 124 from 1997 to date.
	
		
			  Magistrates courts closed since 1997 and their HMCS criminal justice area 
			   Courthouse closed  Criminal justice area 
			 1997 Ellesmere Port Cheshire and Merseyside 
			 1997 Hampstead London North and West 
			 1997 Marylebone London Central and South 
			 1997 Otley North and West Yorkshire 
			 1997 Stokeley North and West Yorkshire 
			 1997 Thorne Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 1997 Hebburn Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 
			 1997 Seaham Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 
			 1997 South Shields (Kepple Street) Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 
			 1997 Bromsgrove Black Country, Staffs and West Mercia 
			 1997 Ledbury Black Country, Staffs and West Mercia 
			 1997 Chippenham (Market Place) Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 1997 Ashton under Lyne (Manchester Road) Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 1997 Duckinsfield Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 1997 Braintree Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 1997 Clacton on Sea Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 1997 Pontardawe South East Wales 
			 1997 Bargoed South East Wales 
			 1997 Monmouth South East Wales 
			 1997 Pontlttyn South East Wales 
			 1997 Pontypool South East Wales 
			
			 1998 Malton North and West Yorkshire 
			 1998 Ripon North and West Yorkshire 
			 1998 Marlborough Street London Central and South 
			 1998 Clerkenwell London North and West 
			 1998 Saffron Walden Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 1998 Bishop's Stortford Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 1998 Hatfield Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 1998 Hitchin Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 1998 Market Rasen Leicestershire, Lincoln and Northamptonshire 
			 1998 Lutterworth Leicestershire, Lincoln and Northamptonshire 
			 1998 Chertsey Surrey and Sussex 
			 1998 Farnham Surrey and Sussex 
			 1998 Oxted Surrey and Sussex 
			 1998 Sheerness Kent 
			 1998 West Malling Kent 
			 1998 Barnard Castle Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 
			 1998 Lytham Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 1998 Corwen North Wales 
			 1998 Diss Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			 1998 Felixstowe Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			 1998 Haverhill Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			 1998 Saxmundam Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			 1998 Stowmarket Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			 1998 Newmarket Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			 1998 March Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			
			 1999 Christchurch Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 1999 Stow on the Wold Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 1999 Abingdon Thames Valley 
			 1999 Henley on Thames Thames Valley 
			 1999 Windsor Thames Valley 
			 1999 Morley North and West Yorkshire 
			 1999 Pudsey North and West Yorkshire 
			
			 2000 Ampthill Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 2000 Biggleswade Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 2000 Dunstable Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 2000 Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 
			 2000 Lichfield Black Country, Staffs and West Mercia 
			 2000 Keighley North and West Yorkshire 
			 2000 Keswick Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 2000 Windermere Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 2000 Wigton Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 2000 Appleby Cumbria and Lancashire 
			 2000 Gravesend Kent 
			 2000 Wootton Bassett Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 2000 Abergele North Wales 
			
			 2001 Alfreton Nottingham and Derbyshire. 
			 2001 Ashbourne Nottingham and Derbyshire 
			 2001 Bakewell Nottingham and Derbyshire 
			 2001 Matlock Nottingham and Derbyshire 
			 2001 Middleton Nottingham and Derbyshire 
			 2001 Leigh Greater Manchester 
			 2001 Womborne Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 
			 2001 Leek Black Country, Staffs and West Mercia 
			 2001 Worcester Black Country, Staffs and West Mercia. 
			 2001 Warrington Patten Hall Cheshire and Merseyside 
			 2001 Macclesfield Park Green Cheshire and Merseyside 
			 2001 Bideford Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Exmouth Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Kingsbridge Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 South Molton Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Teignmouth Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Tavistock Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Axminster Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Tiverton Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Newquay Devon and Cornwall 
			 2001 Southampton (Commercial Road) Hampshire and Isle of Wight 
			 2001 Gillingham Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 2001 Bridlington Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 2001 Brough Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 2001 Driffield Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 2001 Hull (Guildhall) Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 2001 Hull (Lowgate) Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 2001 Pocklington Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 2001 Withensea Humber and South Yorkshire 
			 2001 Arundel Surrey and Sussex 
			
			 2002 Bridgnorth Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 
			 2002 Leominster Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 
			 2002 Evesham Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 
			 2002 Fakenham Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk 
			 2002 Tunbridge Wells Kent 
			 2002 Beaconsfield Thames Valley 
			 2002 Buckingham Thames Valley 
			
			 2003 Thame Thames Valley 
			 2003 Droitwitch Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 
			 2003 Rugeley Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 
			 2003 Whitchurch Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire 
			 2003 Machynlleth North Wales 
			 2003 Lampeter Mid and West Wales 
			 2003 Tenby Mid and West Wales 
			 2003 Camberley Surrey and Sussex 
			 2003 Trowbridge Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 2003 Chester Le Street Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 
			 2003 Long Sutton Leicestershire, Lincoln and Northamptonshire 
			 2003 Caistor Leicestershire, Lincoln and Northamptonshire 
			 2003 Horncastle Leicestershire, Lincoln and Northamptonshire 
			 2004 Richmond North and West Yorkshire 
			 2004 Stourbridge Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Coventry 
			
			 2005   
			
			 2006 Bow Street London Central and South 
			
			 2007 Flax Bourton Avon and Somerset 
			 2007 Marylebone London Central and South 
			
			 2008 Aldridge Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 
			 2008 Pickering North and West Yorkshire 
			
			 2009 Devizes Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			  Note: Since the creation of HMCS in 2005 the number of HMCS criminal justice areas has reduced from the original 42. The above table should enable the reader to identify the relevant county relating to the closure.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1373W, on magistrates' courts: closures, how many magistrates' courts there were in each type of area in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: Up until 1 April 2005, magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates courts committees who were statutorily independent. My Department does not hold information on the number of magistrates courts prior to 2005, as they were not required by statute to inform the Department of closures that were not subject to an appeal under section 56(3) of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997 (now repealed).
	Research suggests that there were in the region of 650 magistrates courts in the late 1970s. Between 1979 and 1997 an estimated 171 magistrates courts were closed: from 1997, an estimated 125 magistrates courts have been closed. Estimates of the number of magistrates courts in operation since 1997 are included in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1997 479 
			 1998 458 
			 1999 433 
			 2000 426 
			 2001 413 
			 2002 383 
			 2003 376 
			 2004 363 
			 2005 361 
			 2006 361 
			 2007 360 
			 2008 358 
			 2009 to date 355

Offenders: Electronic Tagging

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have been electronically tagged in each year since electronic monitoring began; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Information is collected on the number of electronic tagging orders made rather than the number of offenders tagged. The following table details the number of orders made since the electronic monitoring service began in 1999.
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of orders 
			 1998-99 3,452 
			 1999-2000 19,012 
			 2000-01 19,947 
			 2001-02 21,488 
			 2002-03 35,186 
			 2003-04 41,811 
			 2004-05 46,987 
			 2005-06 51,396 
			 2006-07 54,877 
			 2007-08 65,099 
			 2008-09 69,895 
			 April 2009September 2009 34,574 
		
	
	About 18,800 subjects are being electronically monitored at any one time, of which 25 per cent. are on bail, 58 per cent. on a court-ordered community sentence, and the remaining 17 per cent. on release from prison on licence.
	Since 1999, over 550,000 people have been monitored on a range of electronic monitoring programmes, in the vast majority of cases without incident.

Prison Service: Counselling

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much has been spent on the Prison Service's Counselling Assessment Referral Advice and Throughcare scheme since its inception;
	(2)  what evaluation of the Prison Service's Counselling Assessment Referral Advice and Throughcare scheme has been undertaken.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has kept figures on the total budget allocation for Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare services (CARATs) since it was established in 1999. These are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Total ( million) 
			 1999-2000 5.5 
			 2000-01 8.8 
			 2001-02 12.9 
			 2002-03 14.3 
			 2003-04 17.4 
			 2004-05 22.3 
			 2005-06 (1)26.8 
			 2006-07 (1)30.3 
			 2007-08 (1)32.1 
			 (1) This includes NOMS funding for the integrated drug treatment system 
		
	
	CARATs is based on good practice and industry guidelines (such as the National Treatment Agency's Models of Care) which are evidenced as effective in a community setting.
	A comprehensive CARATs review was conducted in 2003 which involved participation of over 500 stakeholders. The review was concluded in 2005 resulting in a new service specification, new CARATs casework file and the production of a CARATs Practice Manual.
	A further review of the CARATs service is planned which will examine the current delivery of the CARAT service.

Prisoners Release

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2266W, on prisons: manpower, how many prisoners released on licence and subsequently recalled to prison since 1997 remain at large.

Jack Straw: Of the prisoners released on licence and subsequently recalled to prison between 1 January 1997 and 30 June 2009, a total of 741 had not been returned to custody as at 16 October 2009.
	This figure is based on the data in table 1 of an information release published on 30 October 2009 and available on the Ministry of Justice website under Licence recalls and returns to custody: audit of licence revocationMinistry of Justice:
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effect on the completion rate for court orders of proposed reductions in the budget for the Probation Service.

Maria Eagle: The trend on completion rates for court orders is improving. The performance for the financial year 2008-09 was 71 per cent. successful completion and from April to September 2009 the rate is currently 74 per cent.
	The budget settlement for 2010-11 is likely to maintain this upward trend. The settlement was recently announced via a written ministerial statement, indicating a 26 million increase for probation above the original indicative budget.
	Nevertheless probation areas/trusts, like other parts of the criminal justice system, are introducing efficiency savings to maximise the value for money that they provide. These efficiency savings are focussed on reducing back office functions and management overheads and should not reduce resources for front-line delivery. As such, the budget settlement will not impact negatively on the completion rate for court orders.

Children in Care

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many former relevant children as defined in his Department's guidance on Children (Leaving Care) there are in each local authority in England and Wales.

Dawn Primarolo: A former relevant child is a young person aged 18+ (i.e. legally adult) who was either a looked after child before reaching legal adulthood or a child who had left care after the age of 16 but before the age of 18, who would be entitled to continuing leaving care support from their responsible local authority.
	Information on the number of former relevant care leavers for England only can be found in the statistical first release titled Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000810/index.shtml
	Table LAG1 shows the number of looked after children now aged 19 years old and who were looked after on 1 April 2005 then aged 17 years old (in their 17(th) year) by local authority. This table can be found in the excel link titled (3(rd) set of additional tables).
	Statistics on Children Looked After in Wales are produced annually by the Local Government Data Unit and the Welsh Assembly Government. Data for the period up to the end of March 2009 were released on 26 August 2009 and can be found at the following link:
	http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/health2009/hdw200908262/?lang=en
	Table 7 shows a time series for the number of care leavers on their 19(th) birthday.
	The following link is to the Statistical First Release Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2009:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000878/index.shtml
	Table LAG1 for the year ending 31 March 2009 will be available by the end of this year.

Children: Social Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1404-05W, on children: social services, when Ofsted expects to have received the remaining serious case reviews.

Dawn Primarolo: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Ofsted has now received 21 serious case reviews relating to child deaths cited in the report Learning Lessons, taking action: Year 2, which covered the period April 2008 to April 2009, These relate to 27 children.
	Ofsted is awaiting three serious case reviews relating to child deaths cited in the report and two of these are likely to be submitted to Ofsted imminently. The third is due to be completed by 31 December 2009 and is therefore expected in January 2010. Each of these relates to one child.
	Seven Local Safeguarding Children Boards informed Ofsted that a decision had been made not to conduct a serious case review in relation to child deaths cited in the report. Each of these related to one child. One further Local Safeguarding Children Board is still awaiting the final results of the post mortem in order to consider whether the criteria for instigating a serious case review are met. This case also relates to one child.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students in post-16 education in  (a) Peterborough constituency and  (b) Peterborough City Council area are in receipt of education maintenance allowance.

Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoffrey Russell the LSC's Acting Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member for Peterborough with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Young People: Social Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the average  (a) pay and  (b) pay-related costs of employing a detached youth social worker were in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average cost of training a detached youth social worker in the latest 12-month period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the average cost of recruiting a detached youth social worker was in the latest 12-month period for which figures are available;
	(4)  what the average  (a) starting salary and  (b) salary of a detached youth social worker was in the latest 12-month period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not collect any specific information on the pay and pay-related costs, training costs, recruitment and salary levels of detached youth social workers.
	However, the 2008 Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and Community Workers, Pay and Workforce Survey shows that youth support workers with NVQs and VRQs at Levels 2 and 3 will normally work in posts with a starting salary of around 15,000, whilst professional youth worker posts command a starting salary of around 22,000. Posts with more responsibility have salaries ranging from 27,000 to 34,000. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) shows that in 2008, the gross annual pay of all full-time youth workers averaged 24,219 p.a.

Unemployment: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged between 16 and 24 years in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley were not in education, employment and training in (i) May 1997 and (ii) each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	Table 1 as follows shows the number and percentage of people aged(1) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the local education authority (LEA) of Bexley from 2000 to 2008. These estimates are from the Annual Population Survey.
	Complete training and education data are unavailable prior to 2000 so estimates of people not in education, employment or education are not available for 1997.
	Due to small sample sizes, estimates cannot be provided for areas smaller than LEAs such as constituencies. Please note that these estimates are subject to sampling variability and should be viewed in conjunction with their confidence intervals (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/- 0.6pp means that the sampling variability ranges from 0.6pp above the estimate and 0.6pp below the estimate. Confidence intervals have been provided in table 1 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: People aged( 1)( ) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training in Bexley 
			   Number  Percentage  Confidence intervals 
			 2000(2) 2,000 12 +/- 7.7 
			 2001(2) 3,000 13 +/- 7.4 
			 2002(2) 3,000 11 +/- 5.6 
			 2003(2) 2,000 9 +/- 6.4 
			 2004 2,000 8 +/- 6.1 
			 2005 2,000 7 +/- 5.2 
			 2006 4,000 17 +/- 8.3 
			 2007 3,000 12 +/- 6.7 
			 2008 3,000 14 +/- 7.6 
			 (1) Age used is the respondents' academic age, which is their age at the preceding 31 August. (2 )Estimates prior to 2004 are from the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey, the predecessor to the Annual Population Survey. It covers the period from March in the given year to February in the next.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

Apprentices

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the adult apprenticeship budget managed by the Learning and Skills Council in 2009-10 is planned to be allocated to  (a) adult Level 2 and adult first Level 2 courses,  (b) adult first Level 2 and adult first Level 3 courses,  (c) adult Level 2 and adult first Level 2 courses for 19 to 24 year-olds and  (d) adult Level 3 and adult first Level 3 courses for 19 to 24 year olds.

Kevin Brennan: The adult Apprenticeship budget is not separated according to the level of the framework undertaken. The total adult budget available for Apprenticeships for 2009-10 is 390 million.

Apprentices: Finance

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding for higher apprenticeships was provided by  (a) the Learning and Skills Council and  (b) the Higher Education Funding Council for England in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: Our records show that in 2007-08, 202,000 was spent by the Learning and Skills Council on funding level four or higher-level apprenticeship places. This includes new learners who started an apprenticeship that year and funding those who had started their programme in the previous year. Prior to 2006-07, level four apprenticeships were not available. A higher-level apprenticeship is not an award/qualification and as such the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is unable to capture data regarding provision of that nature.
	Higher-level apprenticeships are only available in a limited number of areas, such as engineering and ICT. The Department will shortly publish the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE), which will for the first time set out the essential components and standards for all apprenticeship frameworks. The SASE will require that all frameworks include clear career progression routes, including higher-level apprenticeships and other routes through further and higher education.

Apprentices: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many government-funded apprenticeships have been undertaken in each local authority area in the North West in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many government-funded apprenticeship places were available in each local authority area in the North West in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: Apprenticeship funding for further education (FE) colleges and providers is set out in a maximum contract value (MCV). This amount reflects the anticipated cost for an academic year of supporting learners continuing on programmes from earlier years as well as new starts. We do not fund on the basis of expected places rather the number of total learners that can be supported in a given year with the funds available.
	Planning assumptions for funded apprenticeship places for the 2009/10 academic year were published in the Grant Letter to the Learning and Skills Council (November 2008). Further to this, we announced a 140 million package to deliver 35,000 extra apprenticeship places over 2009/10. Although information on apprenticeship places is not available, we do publish the number of apprenticeship starts in each academic year, at both a national and sub-national level.
	Apprenticeship Starts for 2003/04 to 2007/08 were published in a statistical first release (SFR) on 25 June:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrjun09.
	Supplementary table 5.1 shows apprenticeship starts by constituency, local authority, Government office region and England for 2003/04 to 2007/08.
	Supplementary table 11.1 shows provisional apprenticeship starts for the first nine months of 2008/09. Provisional full-year figures for 2008/09 were published in a statistical first release on 22 October:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfroct09.
	Supplementary geographic breakdowns will be available shortly after the main release.

Bank Services: Fraud

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government is taking to protect members of the public from organised fraudulent schemes which solicit money and bank details; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: On 2 July the Government published the Consumer White Paper A Better Deal for Consumers: Delivering Real Help Now and Change for the Future. The Paper details plans for more effective enforcement at those that deliberately set out to defraud consumers, often targeting the most vulnerable and to empower consumers through better enforcement and information.
	The Office of Fair Trading takes the lead on tackling mass scams. The OFT and Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) lead on the development of the National Fraud Strategy in partnership with a wide range of other enforcement, consumer and industry bodies which launched on 19 March 2009. The strategy sets out the UK's strategic priorities to tackle fraud and will provide a framework and long term commitment to making the UK the world's hardest target for fraudsters.
	In addition, the Government have invested 7.5 million over three years (in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11) for specialist Trading Standards scambuster teams in Scotland, Wales and every region of England. These are dedicated teams working across local authority boundaries focusing on the hardest-to-tackle scams and rogue trading practices. To date, the teams have uncovered an estimated 30 million worth of fraud, made an estimated 6.5 million of consumer savings, and seized 4.5 million of criminal assets.

Broadband

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of households which have access to high-speed broadband internet; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: While there is currently no figure for the number of households in the United Kingdom connected to high speed broadband internet, approximately 12 million households are within reach of fast broadband via Virgin Media's cable network. This covers approximately 50 per cent. of all UK households. BT announced its plans to invest 1.5 billion in a fibre-based super-fast broadband network. They plan to have the service available to one million households by March 2010 and the service should be available to around 40 per cent. of the UK's homes and businesses by 2012. They are currently rolling out superfast broadband to 10,000 homes in Ebbsfleet and have a 40Mbps service pilot scheme to 15,000 homes in Muswell Hill and Whitchurch.
	Other high speed broadband developments include H20's Fibrecity scheme to 88,000 homes in Bournemouth and Dundee and Redstone's scheme serving 5,000 homes in Belfast.

Job Creation

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many jobs have been created in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the number of new jobs created in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997. (297330).
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in employment from year to year.
	The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), and its predecessor the Annual Labour Force Survey, following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1 attached provides estimates where they are available based on people aged 16 and over, in employment, and resident in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.
	The employment estimates presented in Table 1 for England have been compiled from the APS to be consistent with the regional statistical bulletin estimates for the North East and lower level geographies. Therefore, these estimates differ from headline LFS employment estimates.
	Estimates provided for 1997 to 2003, using the Annual Labour Force Survey are for the twelve months from March each year. Estimates for 2004 to 2008, using the APS are for the twelve months ending December in each year. The most recent estimates also use the APS, but are for the twelve months ending March 2009.
	As with any survey, results from the APS at a small geographical area are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of people, aged 16 and over, in employment( 1)  in England, the North East, Tees Valley and Durham( 2)  and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Parliamentary Constituency( 3) ,1997 to 2009 
			  Thousand, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Date  England  North East  Tees Valley and Durham( 2)  Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 
			 1997(4) 22,193 1,057  43 
			 1998(4) 22,511 1,050  41 
			 1999(4) 22,784 1,046  43 
			 2000(4) 22,994 1,071  39 
			 2001(4) 23,269 1,072  40 
			 2002(4) 23,387 1,079  41 
			 2003(4) 23,671 1,091 480 43 
			  
			 2004(5) 23,826 1,119 502 46 
			 2005(5) 24,103 1,135 506 44 
			 2006(5) 24,274 1,146 521 47 
			 2007(5) 24,491 1,165 527 49 
			 2008(5) 24,627 1,160 521 44 
			  
			 2009(6) *24,585 *1,158 **520 ***44 
			 (1) Includes those full-time and part-time on New Deal.  (2) Estimates are not currently available at this level of geography before 2003.  (3) 2005 parliamentary constituency boundary revision.  (4) Based on the Annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) covering the 12 months from March in each year presented. (5) Based on Annual Population Survey (APS) covering the 12 months to December in each year presented.  (6) Based on the Annual Population Survey (APS) covering the 12 months to March in the year presented.   Notes:  1. As some of these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.  2. Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CVfor example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220  KeyCoefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness *0 ≤ CV5  Estimates are considered precise **  5 ≤ CV 10   Estimates are considered reasonably precise ***10 ≤ CV 20 Estimates are considered acceptable ****  CV ≥ 20Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey and Annual Labour Force Survey

Learning and Skills Improvement Service: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department is providing to the Learning and Skills Improvement Service in 2009-10; and what proportion this constitutes of the total budget of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

Kevin Brennan: In 2009-10 BIS funding is expected to be around 98 million which represents 73 per cent. of the total LSIS income for the year.

Students: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of students who applied for  (a) student loans and  (b) grants from Suffolk local education authority for the (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10 academic year received them in time for the start of that year.

David Lammy: 83 per cent. of student finance applications from Suffolk were approved by 18 October, this compares with 88 per cent. at the equivalent point in the previous year. This excludes applications approved but awaiting student signature. Separate figures are not available for loans and grants, which are covered by the same application form. Higher education institutions have different start dates, so data is not available on applications processed in time for the start of the academic year.
	
		
			  Suffolk application status by academic year( 1) 
			2008/09  2009/10 
			Position 18 October 2008  Position 18 October 2009 
			Number of applications  Percentage  Number of applications  Percentage 
			 Approved  9,700 88 10,100 83 
			  Of which:  
			  Course started prior to  18 October and attendance confirmation received 9,100 82 9,400 77 
			  Course started prior to  18 October and no attendance confirmation yet 500 5 600 5 
			  Course start after 18 October (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Approved awaiting student signature  300 3 400 4 
			 In progress  500 4 800 6 
			 Online application not completed  200 2 300 3 
			 Ineligible/cancelled  300 3 500 4 
			 Withdrawn/suspended  (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Total applications  11,100 100 12,200 100 
			 (1) Application figures rounded to nearest 100. (2) Less than 50 applications.  Source: Student Loans Company. 
		
	
	After the application has been assessed and approved, a student who applied online will then need to sign a declaration form. If they are a new student, their national insurance number will need to be verified with the Department for Work and Pensions. Thereafter payment will be released once confirmation of attendance has been received from the higher education institution.

Students: Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of students who applied for  (a) student loans and  (b) grants from (i) Richmond-upon-Thames local education authority area and (ii) all English local authorities for the (A) 2008-09 and (B) 2009-10 academic year received them in time for the start of that year.

David Lammy: 80 per cent. of student finance applications from Richmond-upon-Thames were approved by 18 October, this compares with 86 per cent. at the equivalent point in the previous year. This excludes applications approved but awaiting student signature. Separate figures are not available for loans and grants, which are covered by the same application form. Higher Education Institutions have different start dates, so data is not available on applications processed in time for the start of the academic year.
	
		
			  Richmond-upon-Thames application status by academic year( 1) 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			   Position at 18 Oct 08  Position at 18 Oct 09 
			   Applications  %  Applications  % 
			 Approved 3,300 86 3,300 80 
			 Course started prior to 18 October and Attendance Confirmation 
			 of which: Received 3,100 80 3,200 76 
			 Course started prior to 18 October and no Attendance Confirmation yet 200 5 200 4 
			 Course Start after 18-10-2008 (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Approved awaiting student signature 200 4 300 6 
			 In Progress 300 7 300 7 
			 Online not Completed 100 2 100 3 
			 Ineligible/Cancelled 100 2 200 4 
			 Withdrawn/Suspended (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Total Applications 3,900 100 4,100 100 
			 (1) Application figures rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Less than 50 applications  Source:  Student Loans Company 
		
	
	After the application has been assessed and approved, a student who applied on-line will then need to sign a declaration form. If they are a new student their National Insurance Number will need to be verified with the Department for Work and Pensions. Thereafter payment will be released once confirmation of attendance has been received from the Higher Education Institution.
	England figures on applications in academic years 2008-09 and 2009-10 are available from the SLC website at
	www.slc.co.uk/statistics/facts_figures.html

Students: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the timetable is for the Government's review of student funding.

David Lammy: My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced that the Independent Review of Variable Tuition Fees will be launched this autumn.
	It is too early to say precisely how long the review will last, but it will be dealing with complex issues and will require adequate time to consult with the many stakeholders.

Students: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of students from Lancashire County Council local education authority area who applied for  (a) student loans and  (b) grants for the (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10 academic year received them in time for the start of that year.

David Lammy: 80 per cent. of student finance applications from Lancashire were approved by 18 October, this compares with 79 per cent. at the equivalent point in the previous year. This excludes applications approved but awaiting student signature. Separate figures are not available for loans and grants, which are covered by the same application form. Higher Education Institutions have different start dates, so data is not available on applications processed in time for the start of the academic year.
	
		
			  Lancashire application status by academic year( 1) 
			   2008/09  2009/10 
			   Position at 18 October 2008  Position at 18 October 2009 
			   Applications  Percentage  Applications  Percentage 
			 Approved 20,200 79 21,400 80 
			  Of which: 
			 Course started prior to 18 October and attendance confirmation received 18,900 74 20,000 75 
			 Course started prior to 18 October and no attendance confirmation yet 1,300 5 1,400 5 
			 Course start after 18 October (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			  
			 Approved awaiting student signature 1,300 5 1,100 4 
			 In progress 3,000 12 2,000 8 
			 Online not completed 600 2 700 3 
			 Ineligible/cancelled 400 2 1,400 5 
			 Withdrawn/suspended (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Total applications 25,600 100 26,800 100 
			 (1) Application figures rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Less than 50 applications.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	After the application has been assessed and approved, a student who applied online will then need to sign a declaration form. If they are a new student their national insurance number will need to be verified with the Department for Work and Pensions. Thereafter payment will be released once confirmation of attendance has been received from the Higher Education Institution.

Students: Loans

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was paid out in maintenance and tuition fee loans by the Student Loan Company  (a) in total and  (b) to students resident in Coventry in the academic year 2008-09.

David Lammy: Early provisional England figures for the academic year 2008/09 are available from the Statistical First Release Student Support for Higher Education in England, Academic Year 2008/09 (Provisional), available from the Student Loans Company website at
	www.slc.co.uk/pdf/slcsfr052008.pdf.
	This gives early figures of 2,541.2 million maintenance loans and 2,047.7 million tuition fee loans. Figures will increase with late applications. Updated figures will be published in November 2009.
	Estimated early provisional figures for Coventry domiciled students, at the same point as the Statistical First Release, give around 14.7 million maintenance loans and around 11.7 million tuition fee loans in academic year 2008/09. Figures will increase with late applications.

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Technology Strategy Board has allocated to  (a) businesses and  (b) video games businesses in 2008-09.

David Lammy: During the financial year 2008-09 the Technology Strategy Board offered grant funding of 117.1 million to new projects involving UK businesses. Of this, 577,000 went to projects involving UK video games businesses.

University Centre Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to discuss with the Higher Education Funding Council for England future plans for the number of student places at the University Centre, Peterborough under the auspices of Anglia Ruskin University; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I am pleased to report that the Higher Education Funding Council for England announced on 5 October 2009 that 200 new Additional Student Numbers (full time equivalent) would be made available for the university centre at Peterborough in 2010-11. HEFCE has contributed 5 million to the development of this project. However, I should make clear that under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 I take no part in these individual funding decisions.